Tangled Fates
by x3sYellowie
Summary: The Sohma household has been hiding another dark secret. A girl, whose will to live was broken by Akito, is now to move into Shigure's home. Will she be fixed again? And will she help to fix the others? HaruxOC
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Title: Tangled Fates

Pairing: HaruxOC

Summary : The Sohma household has been hiding another dark secret. A girl, who's will to live was broken by Akito, is now to move into Shigure's home. Will she be fixed again? And will she help to fix the others? HaruxOC

Chapter 1: Prologue

Hello everyone!

I've been toying with the idea of this story for a few months now, and only today have I started to pen it down!

This story is based on the Manga, and it will slightly differ from it. I will try to make it that the sequence of events will be the same though.

I hope that it will turn out as nicely as it has been in my head, and I hope that you enjoy this story!

This is my first time writing a Fruits Basket fic, so please be kind to me!

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket!

* * *

**

_Chapter 1: Prologue_

In the Sohma household, lies a dark secret…

A secret that only a selected few know. A curse that only a selected few involves.

The Sohma family curse; _The curse of the Zodiacs._

However, the enigmatic Sohma family has many secrets, and not all have been uncovered yet…

* * *

"LET ME GO! I WON'T LET HER GET AWAY WITH THIS!" screamed the head of the Sohma household. "HOW DARE SHE TAKE AWAY HATSUHARU!"

Akito struggled to get out of the firm hold of Kureno, who was trying unsuccessfully to calm _him _down. Hatori kneeled beside the wounded Rin Sohma, who was lying unconscious on the ground where she had landed after being pushed off the second level by the same person who was screaming.

"Akito?" a soft voice came from the door connecting to Akito's personal room. In walked a petite girl wearing a pale pink kimono. She gracefully glided across the room floor to kneel beside the head of the household.

Just then, she did one wrong move; to touch _his _arm.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" yelled Akito, and with an amazing strength coming from a frail person, _he _managed to shrug off Kureno's hold, and he slapped the petite female across her face hard, causing blood to be spit from said girl's mouth.

The girl did not raise her head. But after a few prolonged moments of utmost silence, she calmly looked at Akito's eyes, her own holding no sign of life. Her dull violet eyes stared deep into _his, _and Akito felt a single shiver streak down _his _spine.

The girl did not bother to rub away the thin trail of blood trickling down her chin. She just sat there and stared at Akito, not moving.

For the first time in _his_ life, Akito felt a wave of panic overwhelming _his_ senses. _He_ had hit her, the girl who _he_ swore to never harm in _his_ life.

* * *

Hatori walked through the halls of the main household, heading to the head of the family's room. He knocked twice on the rice paper door, and waited patiently for a response.

"Come in," came the familiar voice of the sickly person that Hatori had frequently attended to. Hatori obeyed the command and slid open the door, entering the room before kneeling politely on the floor next to Akito.

The said person laid on the floor, one elbow supporting the weight of _his _head, while the other hand held up a bird.

"What is it, Hatori?" came the lifeless voice of Akito.

"I have something to suggest."

Akito didn't react to that sentence, and only said, "And what may that be?"

Hatori silently prepared himself to be yelled at for the thing he was about to propose. "I know you're still feeling guilty about hitting her," he started. "I was thinking of giving her some time to breathe. Considering she has already endured 10 years of being under your care, you can rest assured that she will_ never_ betray you." He closed his eye, silently sitting there and preparing himself for the impact he was sure he was going to face.

"That seems like a good idea," came the reply. He sat up straight, eye opened wide with surprise as his plan was accepted so readily. He was sure that Akito would put up more of a fight. After all, she was the one that _he_ treasured the most. "Please inform her for me. She will be leaving for Shigure's house tomorrow."

* * *

"Tori-chan," the soft voice said. "What are you doing here?"

Hatori entered the room and knelt in front of the girl. "I will help you pack now."

Violet eyes stared at him, void of life. Hatori felt his heart tighten in sadness, knowing that there was a time where those same eyes shined brightly with happiness, excitement, and the joy of living. '_I wish that I can see those shining eyes once more. I yearn to see it again.'_

"Are we going somewhere, Tori-chan?"

He gave her a small but sincere smile. "You're going to be free again. You'll be living with Shigure, and going to school. You won't have to be trapped in this dark room anymore," he said in a hushed voice. For a moment, he swore that he had seen a flicker of life in those eyes.

"You'll never be alone anymore, Kairi."

* * *

Please Read&Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!


	2. Chapter 2: The Meeting

Hello everyone! I'm back :)

Wow I didn't expect to get reviews for my first chapter. I feel.. loved!

Anyways, let's reply to my reviews!

**AngelofDarkness21 : I would never make Yuki into a girl! I think he's so smexy as a guy :3 Thanks for your support ^^**

**tika rose : I would take up your advice on not putting in lovey dovey stuff... But my story is based on that! So I'm sorry! But thanks for your support!**

**Kasumi-Chou : Thank you! I will try to add in new chapters the fastest that I can!**

**yukiandkyo : Oh? I'm sorry but I don't quite comprehend your story. But I am intrigued by your storyline! So please write it, I really would like to read it! :)**

I hope that this chapter can satisfy your expectations! It didn't really quite fit into what I had in mind, but I still tried my best to do it! Yup!

Please enjoy :)

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket!**

* * *

_Chapter 2 : The Meeting_

The house was at peace for the time being, as most of its occupants were not in. Shigure sat in his study, resting against the back of his seat, brainstorming for an idea for his new love novel that his pitiful editor was chasing him for.

The phone rang.

Said writer got up from his seat and rushed to the receiver, happy for a distraction from his chore.

"Moshimoshi? (Hello?)" he answered into the device. "Ah? That's FANTASTIC Ha-san! Yes, I will get the preparations ready! I will see you tonight."

He then put the phone back and skipped happily to his room, thinking that finally something interesting was going to unfold before his eyes.

* * *

"Tadaima! (I'm home)" Momiji rang cheerfully as he took off his shoes to enter the humble abode.

Tohru echoed after his greeting with "Tadaima Modorimashita!" She slipped off her brown shoes and stepped into the house, with a silent Yuki, Haru and Kyo following her. Shigure popped his head out of the study and saw the small crowd of people gathered at his house.

"Okaeri! (Welcome home)" sang Shigure as he glided across the room happily. "It's nice to see you, Momiji-kun and Haru-kun!"

"Don't be an idiot the minute we come home," Kyo mumbled, grumpily walking into the living room and sitting himself on the floor.

Shigure whistled lowly and whispered to Yuki, "What happened? Mr. Grumpy is even more grumpy today."

Yuki gave him a look and smiled a mysterious smile. "Naisho. (It's a secret)" Shigure then guessed that there was a fight between the two cousins beforehand, and that the cat had lost, as usual, and was thus sulking.

The group then moved to sit at the living room, while Tohru went to the kitchen to brew some hot tea for everybody. Light chatter filled the room, and Shigure then realized that he still had preparations to be made.

"Kyo-kun, can you help me bring the spare mattress from the store room up to your room?" he asked sweetly, smiling an innocent smile.

"Wh-what.." Kyo stuttered, confused.

"Shii-chan! Are we having a visitor?" Momiji asked, excited. Shigure nodded, grinning. "Who is it?" He started bouncing in his seat, eyes shining in anticipation.

"Ah, that's not what is important. The important thing is that we have to get the preparations done for them to have a nice stay here," he replied, easily shrugging off the question. He had already decided to keep it a secret from the rest, so that they can have a pleasant surprise when the time comes to unveil the truth.

"So why do **I **have to be the one to bring up the mattress? Do it yourself!" Kyo yelled. Hatsuharu stared blankly at Shigure, then looked at Kyo.

"Sensei (Teacher) is old," Hatsuharu said, with no real emotion in his voice. Shigure felt as if an imaginary arrow had hit his pride. "He doesn't have the strength to carry the mattress upstairs." Cue another imaginary arrow.

Shigure sweatdropped. _'Though he did save me an earful from Kyo-kun, He didn't have to say that I'm old or that I have no strength..'_

"Forget it, I'll bring the mattress up," a fed up Yuki sighed, getting up from his seat and moved to get the mattress from the store room. _'Shigure was quite secretive about who was coming over. I wonder what he's thinking. And I also wonder who it may be.'_

* * *

The living room was soon cleared from its members. Kyo was on the roof as usual, Shigure in his study, Momiji and Tohru were in the kitchen preparing dinner, and Yuki and Hatsuharu were sparring in the garden.

A car could be heard parking in front of the house, and the door bell rang.

Shigure rushed out of his seat, literally flying across the house, and opened the door excitedly.

"Kairi-chan!" he exclaimed, pulling said girl into a tight embrace. "It's been a long time. You've grown to be so pretty!" He smiled, pulling back to look at her face.

"Shii-chan," whispered Kairi. Hatori glanced at the girl, her eyes were still dull, but for a moment, he caught a glimpse of life.

"Shigure? Who is it?" came Yuki's voice as he walked to the door. His violet eyes were wide as he stared at the figure in the doorway. "…Kai? Is that you?" Kairi stood there, her face showing no emotion, as she nodded slowly.

"Yuki-kun, who is it?" Tohru asked, as she and Momiji made their way to the door. Momiji's mouth hung open, and in a split second, he ran to Kairi, hugging her violently, causing said girl to fall backwards. Fortunately, Hatori caught the poor girl and prevented the potentially disastrous fall.

"KAI-CHAN! I missed you so much! Where have you been?"

Hatori sighed heavily, still holding the weight of both Kairi and Momiji. "Momiji, please let her up. The poor girl has just arrived here and you already attacked her." He gave a sheepish smile but let her up anyways.

Tohru stood there, brows furrowed, utterly confused at the scene unfolding in front of her. _'How is it possible that Momiji can hug her without getting transformed? Unless she's one of the Zodiac members..?' _With that, she dismissed the thought and a large grin formed on her face. She smiled happily at the blonde girl.

"Hello! My name is Tohru Honda," she smiled happily, clasping her hands together.

Kairi stared at the girl, and nodded to her. "My name is Kairi Sohma. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said in her soft voice, bowing low. Tohru started panicking, and she bowed a few times furiously.

"What's all the commotion about?" a deep husky voice questioned, and out walked the white haired teen from his light shower after the sparring match between Yuki. He walked to the living room, where the crowd was now gathered. He saw a patch of blonde hair in the centre of the group, and as he walked nearer, he recognized her face. The face he swore to never forget. He dropped the towel that he was holding in his hand. His body froze.

"Kairi?"

She didn't change much in the 10 years that they last met. He could never forget that long blonde hair tied into two long ponytails which reached the waist, with the top of the ponytail having a thicker volume of blonde hair, and bottom part of the ponytail being thin. Her face was framed with falling strands of blonde, the strands that were unable to be tied back into the high ponytails. Her eyes were a deep violet, and though now they were dull, he knew for sure that 10 years ago, those same violet eyes were shining with the innocence of childhood. Though her expression was now that like a pokerface, Hatsuharu knew that her smile was brighter than the sun, and it never failed to cheer up any of his days.

He loved that smile, he really did.

Those deep violet eyes glanced at him, and he could see the flicker of light back in those eyes. "Ha-chan.." her voice said, sweet as honey. How he loved the sound of her voice. With that, his body started moving again, and without his own accord, he walked to the girl, and pulled her in a tight embrace.

"I.. I thought I wouldn't ever see you again," he started, mind blank. All those nights spent on thinking about what to say to her if he ever met her again was wasted. But he didn't actually give a damn. All that mattered was that the person in his embrace was _real. _It wasn't one of those many dreams that he had of her, the ones that would bring tears to his eyes the minute he sat up the next morning, knowing that it was just a fleeting dream of his.

"Yah! What's with all the noise? It's like you're holding a bazaar downstairs or something," a rough voice said. The orange haired teen walked down the stairs, not actually paying attention to his surroundings. Until a voice called to him, pulling at his heart strings. A voice that he had been yearning to hear for the past 10 years.

"Onii-chan?"

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Please Read&Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

(Author's Note : This chapter has been edited ^^)


	3. Chapter 3: Different Kind of Love

Hello! I'm back again!

I seem to be updating a lot? At least once a day. But that's actually only because next week I'll be out of town, and thus unable to post!

So I'm giving you guys a treat before I leave! :)

Anyways, let's reply to the reviews! (Not many this time round)

**AngelofDarkness21 : Yeah, he is her older brother! My story slightly differs from the Anime/Manga, and all this details are part of my plan :) Thanks for supporting! **

**iHiatus : Thank you very much for your support! I feel really blessed :)**

I hope this chapter will satisfy your expectations! Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket!**

* * *

_Chapter 3 : Different Kind of Love_

At that moment, Kyo's blood froze. His heart stopped. He felt his head turn to the direction of the sound, and he saw her.

Taking long strides towards them, he snatched her out of Haru's embrace, and pulled her into his. How he had longed to hold her for a long time. He regretted the fact that 10 years ago, he always left her to play by herself and only focused on his martial arts. And even though they had spent lots of time together with Hatsuharu every day after their martial arts lesson had ended, he _still_ regretted the fact that he lost time to spend with her. And he only regretted after she disappeared that fateful day, and never ever appeared to them again, until today.

"Kairi" he whispered softly, feeling tears collecting in his eyes. He quickly blinked them away before anyone could notice, as he didn't want to suffer immense teasing from the rest. Suddenly, he felt someone rudely pull him away from Kairi, and he turned to glare at the white haired teenager who was also glaring back at him.

"You.. What did you do that for?" Kyo yelled angrily, glaring at Haru with a fierce intensity.

Haru was now in black mode, and he growled dangerously at the orange haired boy. "You are the one being a pervert and hogging Kairi."

Kyo growled, "Who's the one talking? Not a few minutes ago, you were hugging her with your perverted hands!"

"Why you!" The both of them pulled at each other's shirt, glaring at each other. The rest of the crowd had a huge sweatdrop on their foreheads, and Hatori was shaking his head in disapprovement. Tohru started panicking.

"Oh no! What if they start fighting and someone gets hurt?" she worried, her eyes even bigger than they normally were. Just then, Hatori walked towards the fighting duo, and placed his hands behind each of their heads. They were so into their glaring contest that they didn't notice what would happen next.

He pushed both their heads together, and the next moment, both boys were holding their foreheads, groaning in pain.

"YAH WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" both boys yelled simultaneously. Their growing anger was immediately doused when Kairi spoke.

"Enough," she said softly, before moving to stand in front of Tohru. "Honda-san, you were preparing dinner right?" The said girl nodded. "Can I help you get the table ready?"

* * *

Dinner was spent filling Kairi in with the major events that happened within the past 10 years. Throughout the whole time, the more observant ones, such as Hatsuharu, Yuki and Hatori, noticed that Kairi hadn't smiled a single smile. And their hearts broke because of that, knowing that once upon a time, she was a girl full of smiles. Hatsuharu and Yuki both silently wondered what she had gone through in the time she spent at the Sohma household, unable to have any human contact outside Akito, Hatori and Kureno.

"It's getting late, we better go," Hatori announced, looking at Momiji and Hatsuharu. Momiji started whining about how it had been such a long time since he saw Kairi, and how he wanted to sleep with her that night. He then started crying as he received a bump on his head from an overprotective brother.

Kairi knelt beside him and said softly to him, "Ne, Momiji-chan, don't cry. I'm sure Tori-chan will let you guys come back tomorrow. Right?" She looked up at Hatori, and he knew then that he had lost against her. He nodded solemnly.

* * *

Later that night, after moving Kairi's things to Kyo's room, the house became quiet as everyone started preparing to go to bed. Kairi sat on the mattress on the floor of Kyo's room and thought about the things that she went through that day.

About how she finally met her beloved ones again after a very long time, how she reconciled with her older brother, and how she caught up with what everyone was doing. After 10 years of being isolated in that room with limited human contact, she felt blessed as she was surrounded by the ones she loved.

There was movement in the room, and she looked up to see her older brother walk into the room and sit on his bed. He laid down on one side of the bed and patted the space next to him, signaling her to come and join him. She moved and laid beside him, and they both thought fondly about how this was a normal occurrence when they were both young. He pulled the blanket up and tucked her in, smiling at her softly. Then he laid back down, and there was an air of peace between them.

She felt her eyelids becoming heavy, but before she drifted off into dreamland, she heard a soft voice speak, "…Kairi, gomen (I'm sorry)."

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Kairi! Kairi!" came a chorus of high voices, and footsteps could be heard sounding across the house._

_Kairi looked up from her toy fox, and smiled brightly at both her older brother and her best friend, Hatsuharu. _

"_Onii-chan! Ha-chan! How was your practice today?" she smiled happily as both boys sat down in front of her._

"_It was great! I could feel myself getting stronger!" a young Kyo boasted, pushing his chest forward as he gave a proud smirk._

"_It was good! But Kairi, how was your day?" a young Haru asked, ever so caring. _

_Kairi gave a bright grin, and started telling them about how she spent her afternoon playing with the young head of the household, Akito. About how Akito was so nice to her, how he always gave her toys to play with. She then held up her toy fox, showing it off proudly. "This was what Akito-sama gave me! Isn't it so kawaii (cute)?"_

"_It looks just like you!" Kyo said happily as Haru nodded. _

"_Waii!" she exclaimed. Little giggles could be heard from the room in Kazuma's house, and the said person stood outside that room, smiling a sad smile before he walked away._

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Please Read&Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

(Author's Note : This chapter has been edited :)


	4. Chapter 4: Registration

Hello! I'll be leaving for overseas tomorrow, so this will be my last treat before I leave!

I rushed to complete this chapter before I left, so I don't really feel satisfied with this chapter :/ Sorry for the not as good quality, but I hope you will still enjoy this chapter!

Anyways, to reply my reviews :)

**tikarose : Thank you! /takes cookie happily. This story is based on the manga :) There wasn't any Rin in the Anime, where I did add her scene in the first chapter.**

**saza : Thank you! I really love Haru too! He's my favourite character of all time :)**

**PurePrincess : Thank you :) I feel really honoured! I hope I can live up to your expectations!**

Hope that you guys will enjoy this chapter! After I return from overseas, I'll try to write the next chapter quickly and post it! Until then, please wait patiently! :)

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket!**

* * *

_Chapter 4: Registration_

The Sun peaked out of the clouds, setting the sky into a deep orange hue. Shadows became more define and the light shone and cast away the demons of the night. All was quiet in the Shigure household, as all it's occupants were deep inside dreamland, all except one.

The blonde girl stirred from her sleep, rubbing away the sleep in her eyes. She glanced at her right, where her beloved older brother was snoring quietly, chest moving up and down in a rhythmic pattern. The girl was immensely happy, being able to see everyone again after so long, it made her heart swell in excitement. Though her inner soul was happy, her face stayed the same, and she realized that the mask that hid her feelings couldn't be taken away that easily.

For 10 years, she disciplined herself not to show her emotions, for the one time where she did show her emotions, she was severely punished by head of the Sohma household, who was jealous over the fact that she was happy over something that did not involve _him._ She shuddered over the thought of that particular incident where she was locked up in that black room with no windows for a week, with no human contact whatsoever. She felt so alone there; it was a horrid feeling.

Shaking her head lightly to dispel the negative thoughts away, she got up slowly, careful not to make much movement on the bed so as to not wake her brother up.

She walked to the bathroom and did her necessities, before she made her way out to the porch, where she sat down and thought deeply to herself. She was so engrossed in thought that she didn't hear footsteps slowly going towards her. Kyo sat beside her and watched her quietly. She finally got out of her trance and turned to look at her company.

"Do you remember when we used to live in Master's house?" she asked. He nodded, of course he wouldn't forget the time when they lived there. It was the favourite part in his life. "We used to get up as early as this every morning, and accompany Master as he prepares breakfast. Do you remember?"

"Yeah, I do. I remember that you would sing to us every morning, the songs that you created at the top of your head," he smiled. "Those were the happiest times in my life. It made me feel like we were all one family."

"Yeah. That was the happiest moments in my life too," she agreed, giving him a small smile.

* * *

The occupants of the house were all up. Breakfast was made and served and soon after, the house was left with only Shigure and Kairi, as the other three had to attend school.

Now that the three were gone, Kairi was _bored._ She had already unpacked her belongings; there weren't many so it didn't take long. Tohru didn't give her any chores to do, although she had already begged her to, and her only entertainment left was locked in his study, drafting out the idea for his novel. She laid on the wooden floor of the porch, and with nothing else to do, she started singing.

Shigure was typing in the last paragraph of his novel when he heard a melody. It was soft but the tune was sweet. He instantly recognized the voice to belong to Kairi.

A long time ago, he had always accompanied Hatori on his visits at Kazuma's house. Back then, she was always playing alone and Shigure had always found her cute, so he would entertain and accompany her. She would sing him songs with her clear and innocent voice, and he had always thought her voice was lovely, and listening to those bright tunes always managed to make his day.

Now, though the voice had matured, it was clearly the same. Listening to the song, he realized that in her voice, there was a touch of a hidden emotion, one that he couldn't quite place his finger on. But that deeper intent made him feel sad, unlike how it was in the past.

He completed off his passage, and saved the file, before turning off his laptop. He got changed into his business suit and walked into the living room.

"Kairi-chan, please go and get changed into outing clothes," Shigure said, smiling to said girl. "We're going to the school to get you registered." Hearing that, Kairi got up from the floor and headed upstairs to fetch Tohru's clothes.

Back at the Sohma household, she only wore kimonos and yukatas. Thus she didn't have much normal clothes. Tohru, being the kind girl that she is, gave her some of her old clothes which were too small for herself. For that, she was very grateful.

She changed into a pink blouse with ruffles and a black pleated skirt which ended at her mid-thigh, and grabbed one of Kyo's black jackets in case it got cold. She then went down and met Shigure, and before long, they were walking to the school in a comfortable silence.

* * *

Kairi stood at the gates of the school, with Shigure beside her. She took in the sights to see, as this would probably be her future school, and the both of them entered the school and walked to the office. She watched as Shigure discussed with the secretary about her situation, and looked at her surroundings.

The school was quiet now, as all it's students were currently having lessons. She wondered silently where her friends were and whether she would be in the same class as them.

Her wandering thoughts were disrupted by Shigure who waved his hand in front of her face to catch her attention. She glanced at the secretary who offered her stationary so that she can complete the registration by sitting for an entrance examination. She gratefully took the offered items and went into a small room at the back of the office, with a table and a chair in the centre and a stack of papers on top.

She let out a soft sigh, knowing for a fact that it'll take some time, and much of her brain cells to finish those stack of papers. Sitting down, she resigned herself to complete the task at hand.

A comfortable silence rested between Shigure and Kairi as they walked back home. Kairi had completed the entrance exam papers, and her registration was complete. It was decided that she would be joining the class the week after, which was reasonable, seeing that it was already Friday.

"Kairi-chan," Shigure said, catching said girl's attention. "It's been a long time since you last saw Kazuma-san. Do you want to go visit him soon?"

She looked up at Shigure, and her dull eyes flickered with a glimpse of hope and excitement. "Can I really?" she enquired, unsure of what to think of her recently obtained good fortune. Shigure nodded, giving her a very.. Shigure-like smile.

"Of course you can. You _are _his adopted daughter afterall."

* * *

Please Read&Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

(Author's Note : This chapter has also been edited!)


	5. Chapter 5: Apologies

Hello everyone! I'm back!

I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long! I actually reached back on Tuesday, but I've been so busy recuperating, and then attending many Christmas parties, that I just couldn't find the time to write the chapter. But I managed to find time today, and I decided to give you guys a Christmas treat!

Anyways, time to reply my reviews!

**.Moony : Thank you! I'm trying my best to not make Kairi sound like a Mary Sue, and more realistic. Since the Sohma household is surrounded by devastating pasts and problems, I'm trying to make her fit in, to make her have her own problems to deal with, and somehow able to help the others along the way. I'm honoured that you like this, and I really appreciate your support! :)**

**iHiatus : Thank you! I'm honoured! I don't think I am an awesome writer, but I do try to make my work sound more realistic.**

**tikarose : Oh yay! /eats cookies happily ^^**

**MavelDC superhero fan : I'm happy that you enjoy this :) I really put a lot of effort into trying to make it as original as it can be, and also make it more realistic and unpredictable. I actually didn't plan for her to meet her adopted father, but it just came into my head. I'm now cracking my head to make their reunion blend in with the rest of the story so that it doesn't look too sudden. So their reunion won't be any time soon, sorry! Yes! I love Hatsuharu too! He's my all time favourite character in all of Fruits Basket. **

**Moonlite Streak : Thank you! There are many things in the plot that will make them get closer and stuff like that. Thank you! I'm looking forward to seeing your review again ^^**

**Jessluvswriting : Thank you for loving this! I'm trying my best to update the fastest that I can, but I'm a really picky person, so I have to be sure that the quality is up to my standard before I can post it.**

**: Thank you! I'm trying my best to update faster! :) Thank you thank you :) **

Hope that you guys will enjoy this chapter! I'm trying to write the chapters as fast as I can, but sometimes I'm at a loss for what to write next. So please be patient with me!

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket!**

* * *

_Chapter 5 : Apologies_

"Tadaima! (I'm home)" sang a kid-like voice, and an energetic Momiji bounced into the living room of the Shigure household, with Yuki, Kyo and Haru trailing behind him.

"Okaeri. (Welcome home)" said the blonde girl. She was donned in the same clothes that she wore when she went out that morning, with a pair of frameless spectacles sitting on her small nose, hands clutching a thick book. With further observations, that book was one of Shigure's novels. An anger mark appeared on her elder brother's temple as he stomped forward and confiscated the offending item in the hands.

"Don't read his books," he scoffed. "They will pollute your innocent mind." He then went to the porch and laid down, using both hands as a pillow. Haru then planted himself down beside Kairi, Momiji moved to play with her hair and Yuki went to brew some tea.

"Where's Honda-san?" asked Kairi, her hair now in a messy bun thanks to the hyperactive teenager.

Yuki, with his perfect timing and such, chose that time to walk in and promptly answered her question, "She went straight to work. She'll be home at around 11."

Kairi's eyes widened a little, "Isn't that a little too late?"

Yuki nodded, agreeing. "That is why I usually go and fetch her at her work place. It's not safe out there at that time." Kairi sat in thought for awhile.

"Can I join you tonight, Yu-chan?"

* * *

Dinner was heated and served, and the six of them sat around the table, happily gulfing down their meal. After everyone had finished, Kairi took the plates into the sink to wash them, Haru following closely after her. The rest stayed in the living room to watch television.

She picked up a plate, washing it carefully with soap and rinsing it with water. She moved to the left to grab the towel on the tabletop when a hand grabbed her wrist, halting her actions. Haru took the plate and used to towel to wipe it dry before placing it in the rack.

"You wash and I'll dry," he said, and they both got to work. The minutes ticked by, and a comfortable silence fell on them. The constant hum of the television program was in the background, while they both did their chores without a word.

Haru felt compelled to say something, and he thought about the list of stuff he had wanted to say to Kairi. "…Kairi."

"Hm?" the said girl replied, turning her eyes to look at her friend.

He looked at her with steady eyes. "Gomen. (I'm sorry)"

She didn't have to be psychic to know what he was referring to. She reluctantly broke the eye contact, turning to the pile of dishes once more. She took up another plate and began washing. "You know that it's not your fault. And that I never once blamed you for it."

Haru nodded in agreement. "I know. But I.. I just feel that I need to," he stuttered. "I-If I had stopped you that day, if I wasn't training that day and wanted your company.. I would have stopped you from going. You.. You wouldn't have been locked up."

Kairi let out a soft sigh. "All things happen for a reason.." she turned to him with a small smile on her face. "And it's over. I'm here now right?"

* * *

Momiji and Haru soon left for home, and the grumpy cat retreated to his room drowsily, claiming that there was going to be a storm the next day. Soon it was fifteen to eleven, and Yuki and Kairi set out to fetch the hardworking Tohru.

A comfortable silence rested between the two childhood friends as they walked past the trees and buildings on the path to Tohru's workplace.

".. Yu-chan," Kairi muttered softly, and Yuki almost couldn't hear her though he was right beside her.

"Nani?"

Kairi swallowed. This was harder than she thought. ""Ano ne... Gomen ne, Yu-chan… I-I promised you that time, that I would never leave you alone there. But I.. broke that promise."

Yuki stopped, turning to stare at the smaller girl. He didn't think that she was feeling that way. He never once blamed her for leaving him alone..

* * *

_Flashback_

_Yuki was stuck in that room again. _

_There wasn't any clock in that dark room. No means to tell the time. _

_He looked out the lone window in the entire room. Judging from the brightness of the day, it was around 9am. He held his breath, straining his ears to hear the soft patter of shoes on the ground outside. _

_She didn't fail him. The familiar sounds of her small shoes hitting the ground came. A bright voice which held much laughter came._

"_Yu-chan! Ohayo! (Good morning)" she sang, her face peaking through the window beside the chair which Yuki sat in._

_He smiled a genuine smile, making his visitor giggle loudly. "Ohayo Kai." He said, voice holding a high pitch that came with youth._

"_So how was your day yesterday after I left, Yu-chan?"_

_Yuki's eyes held a sad look and he turned away from the girl. "Akito made me go into that room again."_

_Kairi's eyes widened in shock. "That room with no window or light? The one you told me about that time?" Yuki nodded in agreement._

_He shivered slightly. "I hate that room. Being inside of that room.. It makes me feel like I'm all alone and that there's no one who loves me.."_

_She shook her head violently in objection. "That's not true, Yu-chan! __**I **__love you! Don't worry, cause you'll never be alone! I'll always be with you, I won't let you feel lonely, Yu-chan!" she professed, her childish innocence really shining through with that sentence. _

_Yuki blushed an unhealthy hue of red. But he realized that it was only him who was thinking too much, and he quickly shoved aside all those thoughts. Lightly shaking his head to remove the thoughts, he gave her another one of his genuine smiles, and said gratefully, "Arigato (Thank you), Kai."_

* * *

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Kai. It's not like you wanted to be locked up." Making eye contact with her, he gave her a real smile, the one that would send any girl's heart into spasms. "I'm fine. I'm not like the weak boy that you met and befriended ten years ago. At first, when you didn't visit anymore, I felt betrayed and hurt," He started. "But then I overheard the maids talking about you, about how they pitied you being locked up and unable to meet anyone, about how they thought that it was ironic that you helped the boy who was in that situation, but ended up experiencing it yourself too.

Just then, I almost killed myself with guilt over the fact that I wasn't happy with you, when you yourself were experiencing what I went through. And I forgave you right there and then," He turned around again to look at her. "So there's no need for you to apologize when I already forgave you. In fact, I should be the one to apologize."

Kairi violently shook her head in objection, and Yuki felt a wave of déjàvu wash over him. "You don't have to apologize, Yu-chan." she smiled, and he felt delight at seeing her eyes shine, unlike it's normal dullness and more like how it used to shine back then. It was as if a wall had broken down, and a misunderstanding was cleared.

* * *

Please Read&Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

(Author's Note : Edited :)


	6. Chapter 6: The Storm

Hello everyone! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I'm sorry that this chapter took quite long. I've been rushing my holiday homework because school is starting soon, and the fact that I fell ill made that worse, because I couldn't find the time and energy to write.

Anyways, I really was at a loss about what to write for this chapter, and when I was showering just now, this idea suddenly came to me, and I decided to spoil you guys with some fluff! I hope I managed to succeed in making you guys squeal at the fluffiness of it all.

So this chapter is basically showing you guys a glimpse of the relationship between Haru and Kairi in the past.

And I really wanted to wait until tomorrow (New Year's Eve) to post this, BUT.. I can't wait any longer & I hope you guys will enjoy this!

Anyways, time to reply my reviews!

**MavelDC superhero fan : Thank you! I was trying to make it not sound so cheesy. Hehe.**

**Jessluvswriting : Thank you!**

**tikarose : Haha! Well, this new chapter definitely has Haru making a move. Hope you enjoy! Hehe**

**PurePrincess : Thank you! Well, I'm still getting to that. I don't want her story to come out of the blue, I want there to be some chase, before she actually slowly opens up and tells her story. So yeah! Hehe :)**

**Moonlite Streak : Thank you! Well, to be honest, I don't actually know where it's heading yet :X Yeah I do the same too!(Write down the first sentence that comes to mind and continue from there) Yes she IS actually coming out of her shell a bit. I'm not exactly sure how Tohru is going to heal her wounds, but I'm sure I'll be able to get more inspiration later on :) & I don't think Kairi will feel betrayed if that happens, but we'll just wait and see! :) Thank you so much :D**

Next Tuesday, my school is going to be starting, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to update often. But I'll try my best, please be patient with me!

Well, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

_Chapter 6 : The Storm_

"The weather forecast for today says that it's going to rain," Shigure stated. "Looks like you were right, Kyo. Your cat instincts never fail to predict the weather."

Tohru walked into the living room. "Ah! I should prepare umbrellas!" she exclaimed, before hurrying to the storeroom to get some foldable ones. She passed Yuki a purple umbrella, gave Kyo an orange one and took a pink one for herself.

"We should get going," Yuki said, standing up and taking his bag. Kyo got up soon after, grabbing both his bag and Tohru's bag. The three of them went to the door and put on their shoes, as Kairi stood behind, watching them.

"Have a safe trip," she smiled, as they walked out the door waving to her.

Shigure folded the newspaper which he was reading and placed it on the table, before getting up and walking to the storeroom. He reappeared later with a green umbrella. "Well, I should get going as well before the rain starts."

Kairi froze and looked at him with wide eyes. "Eh? Where are you going?"

He smiled a very Shigure-like smile. "Today is Saturday, I have to pay my weekly visit to Akito. I leave the house to you Kairi!" he smiled, before gliding to the door.

"Eh! A-ano!" Shigure turned back to look at the girl. "Ah.. Betsuni, (Nothing)" she smiled, shaking away her thoughts. "Have a safe trip."

"You're so cute, Kairi!" he said, pulling said girl into a fierce hug. "Well, I'm off!"

* * *

Rain pattered on the windows of the classroom. The whole class turned to look at the oncoming storm outside.

"Ah, that was sudden," the teacher said. "It looks like a big storm."

Hatsuharu blinked his eyes, just waking up from his nap. He lifted his head from the table and stared outside at the sight of the heavy rain. Suddenly the room was lighted up as lightning struck outside. Grey eyes widened.

He stood up suddenly, violently pushing back his chair so hard until it toppled over. Everyone turned their eyes to him, startled at the sudden loud noise. He then ran out of the room, ignoring the shouts from his teacher.

At that moment, he didn't give a damn about anything else. He just ran.

'_Today's a Saturday. Shit,' _he cursed in his mind, running the familiar path that he memorized so well.

The rain came down strong on him. His thin school shoes did nothing to stop the water on the ground to seep through his socks, his wet hair stuck to his face, his thin summer uniform became translucent, and his undershirt stuck to his lean body. But he didn't care. He just ran.

Finally, he reached his destination.

From under the flower pot in front of the door, Haru pulled out a spare key, glad that he had came often enough to know where its hiding place was. He opened the door, pulled of his shoes and ran in, not caring about the puddles of water he was making. He quickly glanced around the house, searching for any speck of blond. He didn't find any.

He searched every room, finally stopping at Kyo's room. He opened the door and looked around, not finding the person he was searching for. He cursed, exasperated, before turning around to exit the room. He then heard a whimper.

He spun around, looking for the source of the sound, and found out that it was coming from the closet. He placed his hand on the wooden door of the closet.

"Kairi.." his deep voice echoed. "Kairi.. I'm here now. Don't be scared."

On cue, the whimpering turned into sobbing. Haru took a step back just in time, as the door of the closet opened violently, and said girl slammed herself into him, causing him to almost lose balance. He pulled the girl into a tight embrace, as she cried into his chest.

"H-Ha-chan.." she cried.

He looked down at the girl, smiling to himself as he was hit by a wave of déjàvu. This was exactly like 11 years ago, when he first found out about her fear of thunder and lightning.

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Kairi!" his voice sang, as he skipped around the house of Kazuma Sohma, searching for the blond haired girl. Kyo was still training in the dojo with the Master, and Haru decided to take a short break to find Kairi and entertain her for a bit.  
_

_Just then, lightning struck, and thunder rumbled loudly. A soft high pitched scream came from the room of said girl. Haru opened the door to the room, and found her, or so to speak, found a bundle of blankets in the corner of the room. He walked to the bundle, and knelt in front of it. _

"_Kairi?" She then unwrapped herself from the blankets, and ran towards Haru, slamming into him, causing him to lose balance and fall onto the floor. She then proceeded to cry loudly, as he hugged her and comforted her until she fell asleep in his arms._

_The storm soon passed, and both children sat on Kairi's bed, talking._

"_Eh! You mean, Kyo doesn't know that you're afraid of thunder?" Haru exclaimed in surprise. _

"_Yes. So Ha-chan! You must keep it a secret! Onii-chan will only tease me to death!" _

"_Okay Kairi. I promise you that I won't tell anyone! It'll be our very own secret," he smiled brightly, holding out his small pinky to the girl. She crossed his pinky with her own, and smiled back. _

_End Flashback

* * *

_

"I kept your secret," he stated, as he hugged Kairi tightly to his chest. "I didn't tell a soul."

Her voice came muffled from his chest, but he heard every word that she said clearly. "I knew you would."

The lightning and thunder soon grew less frequent, and Kairi sat up from her position. "Gomen, (I'm sorry)" she blushed, feeling so embarrassed.

Haru noticed that she wouldn't look at him straight in the eyes, so he lifted her chin to make her do so. "Don't apologise. I didn't comfort you to get an apology," he stated.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and then she gave him a warm smile, her eyes softening, and Haru saw a glimpse of the old eyes that she used to have. "Yeah. Thank you, Ha-chan."

His heart skipped a beat.

* * *

Please Read&Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

Once again, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!


	7. Chapter 7: Red Handed

Hi everyone!

Sorry that this chapter took so long..

School just started and I've been very busy with homework and the like. This year is my final year in Secondary level, and the pressure for us to do well is seriously intense. What makes it worse is that my mother doesn't believe I can get to the Junior College of my choice and it's really disheartening to know that my own mother doesn't believe that I can do it. I've been demoralized and down the past few days, and the fact that my father is in hospital doesn't help any either.

Please ignore the above, it's just me ranting out my insignificant problems. I have much support from my friends and brother, so I'll be find and back to my cheery self soon :)

Time to reply me reviews.

**Jessluvswriting : Thank you! I'm happy that you thought so!**

**MavelDC superhero fan : Thank you! I'm glad that you thought it was sweet cause I was aiming for that reaction in my readers :)**

**Anonymous : Thank you for remembering that detail! :)**

**Tiryn : Thank you! Hehe I hope you squealed ^^**

**Moonlite Streak : You will learn about whether they fell in love since young or are on the verge of falling in love in the near future! I don't want to spoil any suspense ;) Well I'm glad you said that because that was exactly what I was thinking! I think this chapter satisfies the humourous content that you have suggested :) Thanks for reviewing! :)**

Anyways, from now on I'll be getting more and more busy with my schoolwork and studying. So I plead with you all to please be patient with me and not abandon this story! Thank you :)

Please enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer : I don't own Fruits Basket!**

* * *

_Chapter 7: Red Handed_

"WHAT?" shouted Kyo angrily. "You mean he ran out of school when there was a thunderstorm? IS HE INSANE?" The group was on the way home when Momiji decided talk about the events that happened that day.

"He's going to be in a lot of trouble on Monday," Yuki stated, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Well, I'm sure Hatsuharu-san had a reason why he had to urgently run out of class like that," Tohru reasoned.

"We can ask him," Yuki said, sweatdropping at the sight of Haru's school shoes messily thrown on the porch of their house. As they entered, they received another shock.

"HARU!" Kyo fumed angrily, glaring at the puddles of water left on the floor. He then stormed upstairs to find said boy, the rest of the group following after him. He slammed open every door and searched for the boy but to no avail.

Finally, he reached his own room, and he entered the room hastily to find his sister sleeping soundly on his bed, wearing only one of his very own T-shirts that were too big on her, and also his cousin clad only in boxers, hair wet and a towel around his neck. Haru was bent over the sleeping girl, face an inch or two away from hers.

Kyo's jaw dropped. The rest of the group peered over his shoulders, and froze at the sight.

"Ah. Okaeri (Welcome home)," he called in his monotone voice, like it didn't faze him at all at being caught in an awkward situation.

"W-W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BAKA!" Kyo shouted, still frozen in his place.

Haru blinked once. "I was about to kiss her." Tohru then turned beet red, out of embarrassment, while Kyo turned beet red in anger.

"DON'T KID ME!" he yelled, running forward, fist ready for the punch. Haru didn't react fast enough, and his cheek was slowly turning swollen at the impact of the punch. When he turned his head back, his face seemed to take on a more sinister expression, his eyes had an insane gleam in them, and he scowled. Black Haru was out.

"Why, are you jealous about my success at taking your sister? She was so good in..." Black Haru sneered, smirking cockily at the older boy.

"STOP TALKING BULLSHIT!" Kyo snarled fiercely, not allowing the younger boy to complete his sentence, and threw his fist out once again at the dual hued boy. This time, he caught the fist in time, and he twisted Kyo's hand into a weird position. The orange haired boy then used his leg to knee Haru hard in his gut, causing said boy to release his hold on his hand. Too caught up in their fight, they failed to notice the sleeping figure stirring from on the bed.

"It's a surprise how she managed to sleep through the shouting from before," Yuki sweatdropped, watching said girl sit up and blink sleepily at the fighting boys in front of her. By then, Momiji had lost interest in the ongoing scene in front of him and had dragged Tohru away to go play.

"What's going on?" she asked, and the two boys turned to look at her. Black Haru let out a smirk, before stalking to her. He bent down to her level and leaned in to steal her lips when he was stopped abruptly by someone pulling them apart. He turned around to glare at what he assumed was Kyo, but he was met with annoyed violet eyes.

"That's enough playing, Haru," he scolded, a stress mark appearing on his temple.

Black Haru smirked. "Yuki, I didn't know you wanted one too," he said, leaning forward to said boy. Yuki then punched the side of the boy's head, and Haru fell forward.

Kyo walked to the bed and sat beside the girl, holding her shoulders. "Did Haru did anything to you, Kairi?"

"Eh? No he didn't. He just comforted me, that's all." He sighed in relief, before looking at her, confused.

"Why would you need comforting?"

"That's none of your business, Kyo," said Haru, as he sat up from his position on the floor.

Kyo had a growing stress mark on his forehead. "Of course it's my business! You and my sister were alone in the house and you both are barely wearing anything!"

Kairi sweatdropped at her overprotective brother. "Onii-chan, I am wearing clothes." With that, she pulled up the long shirt to show a pair of shorts. "And Ha-chan was wet from running home in the rain, so he went to take a bath while I was sleeping. His clothes are drying downstairs and he has nothing to wear.."

"Tadaima (I'm home)!" sang Shigure as he popped his head into the room. "Oh my! What an indecent scene I'm walking into. Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun, don't interrupt the two lovers! Ohohoho young love!" And within a matter of seconds, he was sporting two bumps on his head from said cat and mouse.

* * *

An exasperated Yuki stormed into his room, opening his closet door and throwing out a pair of slacks and a plain white T-shirt at Hatsuharu who caught said items effortlessly.

"Honestly Haru, running out of school during class? Are you out of your mind?" Yuki ranted angrily. "I can't believe you actually did that. You're going to be in tons of trouble back at school on Monday." Haru just shrugged his shoulders, face still as stoic as it usually was. A stress mark fell on Yuki's temple as he glared at his nonchalant cousin.

"I can't leave her alone at home," he replied after awhile, locking eyes with Yuki. "She's been alone for 10 years already. I.. Just can't leave her alone."

Yuki's eyes softened. "I know what you mean, Haru.. I feel the same way too.." he mumbled softly. "I don't know what happened to her.. But she's become so.."

"Quiet?" Haru supplied.

Yuki's eyes darted from side to side, looking for a word to describe the blonde. "More like withdrawn. And she used to be so open about everything.."

Haru's eyes hardened. "That Akito.. He must've done something to hurt her and traumatize her," he growled angrily, signs of Black Haru quickly showing. "I'll kill him."

Yuki put a hand on his younger cousin's shoulder and shook his head, as if to calm him. It did little to stop the gradually growing anger of Haru.

The door creaked open, and the person that they were talking about poked her head in to see an angry Haru glaring at the floor and Yuki trying to calm him down. She slid into the room without a sound, moving in front of Haru and lifting his head up slightly so that her murky eyes were locked with his clear grey ones.

"Ha-chan? Why are you so angry?"

His hardened grey eyes widened, before they softened at the blonde. Haru shook his head to dispel the anger that had clouded his mind. "No reason," he replied, as he grabbed her retreating hand and held it to his face, closing his eyes and leaning into her soft hands. Apparently, White Haru was back in control.

Yuki's face was a pure look of surprise. He knew that she was special to the cow, but..

Did she just calm Black Haru, and did White Haru actually_ remember_ that he was Black?

* * *

Please Read & Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

(Author's Note : Chapter edited!)


	8. Chapter 8: Confrontation

Hi everyone!

I'm soooooo sorry this chapter took so long.

School has literally been just crazy for me, with teachers thinking that we're superheros and giving us this huge pile of homework and a short period of time to complete it. And not to mention, my exam is next week and the week after.

Anyways, life is getting better (thank goodness), with my father back from the hospital and my mother being less cranky. And to top it off, we're moving house next week so we're all quite excited and there's no room for negativity right now! :)

**tikarose : Nah, it's not your fault :) Thanks though :)**

**Jessluvswriting : Thank you! Yeah I meant for it to be awkward to add some humour :)**

**MidnightheartXxX : Thank you! I'm so glad you said so :) I'm trying to not make my character like a Mary Sue because I really can't stand some of them! **

**MavelDC superhero fan: Thank you! Yeah, I really love how Fruits Basket has humour and love gelled nicely together, so I'm trying to make my story as realistic and true to how Fruits Basket is! **

**HybridRebellion : Thanks for the advice, I really really appreciated it. I did follow it, and it did help get rid of some stress and frustration that I've bottled inside. Thank you so much! :)**

**T-Switzy : Thank you so much! Please don't be a silent reader! Getting reviews like these really makes my day :) I'm trying to make the kiss scene not so sudden and not in-the-spur-of-the-moment. So it'll probably be awhile till it comes up :) Thank you! I hope to see your review again sometime soon ;)**

**Tiryn : I'm so glad you did! I really wanted you guys to feel that slight fluff that's going on : Hehe thank you so much!**

**Meg L.H : Thank you! She WAS a little like Kyo when she was younger, but it all changed when she went with Akito. Yes I hope Haru gets his revenge too! Kairi will slowly heal with time, and the life in her eyes will slowly but surely be brought back :) Thank you! Hope to see your review again :)**

Anyways, life is quite busy for me right now, so I'm trying to find spare time to write this story. Please be patient with me and don't abandon this story!

And, Happy Lunar New Year to everyone! :D

Please enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket! **

* * *

_Chapter 8: Confrontation_

The sky was deep orange, getting brighter by the minute. Blades of grass glistened with dew on their surfaces as rays of sunlight shone on them. Birds chirped and sang melodious tunes, and slowly, people in their homes stirred awake, getting ready for a brand new day.

The Shigure household was no exception. Kairi sat up from her shared bed with Kyo, and yawned widely, tears collecting. She stretched, and used her arm to wipe her damp eyes. She slowly pushed herself off the bed, making sure not to make much movement so as to not wake the orange haired boy next to her.

Tiptoe-ing, she made her way to the smaller closet in the room, which held her small amount of clothes, and pulled out her brand new uniform, freshly washed and neatly ironed by Tohru, who completely ignored Kairi's request to split the job of washing and ironing the clothes between the two girls.

She walked out of the room, careful to close the door gently behind her, so as to not wake up any occupants in the house. She went into the washroom and did her necessities, wore her new uniform and inspected herself in the mirror.

It was the summer uniform, with the white sailor blouse fitting Kairi perfectly, and the blue skirt ending at her upper thigh. Grabbing a small brush on the table, she combed her long hair into the usual two high ponytails, which ended at her waist. Nodding at her reflection, she opened the bathroom door and walked out, only to bump straight into Tohru.

Both girls fell and landed on their butt, and they sat there for a few minutes in silence, just staring at each other in shock.

"I'm so sorry Kairi-san! I really didn't see you there! I'm so sorry!" Tohru then quickly jumped up, bowing and apologizing profusely to the blonde, who just sat there and looked at the panicking girl. She then froze when she heard a soft giggle coming from the girl on the floor, whose melodious laughter rang in her ears.

"Your face is so funny, Honda-san!"

Tohru glanced at the younger girl, and broke into a huge smile. _'This is my first time hearing her laugh!' _Reaching her hand out to help her, she started giggling too. Kairi took the offered hand, and stood up smiling at Tohru, before making her way to the kitchen, leaving Tohru to do her morning routine.

She went to the living room and saw her older brother who was watching the weather forecast. He glanced up at her and gave her a grin.

"Ohayo (Good morning)," he greeted, standing up and walking to said girl. "The uniform fits you." Her eyes widened and she gave him a genuine smile which made him a little shocked but happy.

"Arigatou (Thank you)."

Tohru then walked into the room, greeting them with great jubilance before moving to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. They sat down at the table, continuing to watch the weather forecast, before an alarm rang above them. A few minutes later, a lethargic and stoned Yuki stumbled downstairs and into the male washroom. He appeared awhile later, stalking dangerously to the pair before throwing himself on the floor beside Kairi, resting his head on her shoulder and started snoring softly.

Kairi sweatdropped, looking at the older boy cautiously, poking him to test if he was awake. Beside her, her brother fumed.

"YOU IDIOT RAT! GET OFF KAIRI NOW!" he yelled loudly, and he didn't even have time to say anything else as he went flying through the rice paper door from the impact of the punch that a half-asleep Yuki threw at him.

"Ahhh! Don't spoil my house!" Shigure whined, appearing in the room in his normal kimono and seating himself opposite the two that was left in the room. Yuki had apparently fallen asleep again after getting rid of the being that threatened his precious sleeping time.

"Breakfast is done!" Tohru sang, walking into the room with a tray filled with five sets of steaming hot rice, fish and miso soup in her hands. She carefully placed said items on the table and distributed the food to each person, before taking a seat opposite Kyo's original seat.

A severely pissed off Kyo stormed back into the room. "YAH! YOU RAT! I'LL DEFINITELY BEAT YOU TODAY FOR SURE!" he yelled, breaking into a fighting stance. Yuki gave him a glare, getting more and more orientated as the noise level went higher.

"Shut up and eat Baka Neko (Stupid cat)," he glared. "You're a nuisance to everybody."

"…WHY YOU!"

"Onii-chan, let's quickly eat breakfast and go, I still have to get my timetable and class from the office later, and I don't want to be late for class." With that, Kyo shut up and sat down at his seat, glaring at the food placed in front of him but nonetheless eating said food.

Shigure smiled. No matter how rough and coarse Kyo was, he really did have a soft spot for the blonde. '_Perhaps it came from having to defend her since young, what with their mother having passed away when Kairi was three, and their father abandoning them soon after.' _He mused quietly, keeping the thought to himself. Kyo would give him a earful if he brought up such a topic in front of Kairi. It was evident that Kyo was trying to let Kairi think about anything negative.

* * *

The walk to school was a rather noisy one, with the cat and mouse constantly arguing and Tohru and Kairi chattering by themselves. With only a small distance left until the school gates, Kairi felt like she was being stared at intensely. She stopped abruptly, almost making Tohru collide into her, and looked around. She was met with hostile glares from fuming girls hiding behind a tree. She cocked an eyebrow at them, before shrugging the stares off and continuing her walk to school, with the other three staring at her weirdly.

"Ah I need to go to the office and collect my schedule," Kairi remembered, turning to the rest following behind her. Yuki quickly offered to show her to the office, and the group split up with Tohru promising to introduce her to her friends during the break. The duo went to the office where Yuki then left her alone, after her prompting him to go to class.

Kairi stood at the counter and greeted the secretary who quickly recognized the outstanding girl with blonde hair. The elderly woman gave her a warm smile, handing to her her schedule and a small map of the school, before telling her where the shoe locker was and then she sent her off on her trek to class. By then, most of the students had vacated the area and went to their class, leaving her alone in the hallway.

She heard soft pattering of shoes behind her and spun around to see the same three girls, who were glaring at her behind the tree not long before. They loomed over her, trying to make themselves look intimidating, and glared at her mercilessly. She cocked an eyebrow towards them before turning around again and moving to the direction of the classes.

"Stop right there!" a chorus of voices shouted behind her. Kairi winced and turned around again to face the girls, who were glaring at her more fervently.

"Yes?"

A girl standing in the middle with short yellow-brown hair tied in two pigtails, stepped up to the petite blonde, towering over her. "You girl! What happened this morning? What's going on here? Ah? Why were you seen walking to school with Sohma-kun and Kyo-kun?"

"Yes! Yes!" a girl with short brown hair exclaimed, glaring at Kairi fiercely.

"Well said!" said the last girl with purple locks, the ends of her hair curling outwards.

"What gives you the right to break the rules of what the Yuki Sohma Fan Club has created?" the first girl, seemingly the leader, sneered.

Kairi sighed, staring at the girls weirdly, feeling something snap inside of her. "I don't know what's the big deal with walking to school with Yu-chan and…"

"Yu-chan? YU-CHAN? Who the hell gave you the permission to call him that?" the yellow-brown haired girl yelled, hand poised upwards, and with a swing, she slapped her.

…Or she would have if Kairi hadn't stopped reached out and caught her wrist swiftly. She held the wrist tightly with strength the first girl didn't know such a petite girl could have, and glared at the three girls fiercely.

"I don't even know who you three are, and you just come up and expect me to adhere to the rules that a bunch of delusional fan girls have created?" Kairi's eyes narrowed. "Sorry, but don't you think you're being selfish to Yu-chan by setting up rules to who he's allowed to meet and who he isn't?" With that, she released the grip she held on the girl's hand, turning around swiftly and walking off, leaving the stunned girls in her wake.

"Whoa, Kai-chan is so cool!" a kid-like voice exclaimed from behind them. The three girls spun around to meet the two younger Sohmas, a care-free Momiji who was sucking a lollipop happily, and a fuming mad Hatsuharu.

The girls paled when Haru turned his glare to them angrily. "I suggest to you girls to never bother Kairi again.. Or you will get hell from me." he threatened, cracking his knuckles menacingly. The party of three paled visibly before nodding furiously, afraid of the consequences. The duo stalked off to class after the blonde girl, leaving the girls frozen.

"What do we do Minami? Hatsuharu-kun is so scary!" the girl with the brown hair, Sukina worried.

"Yeah Minami! This girl is different from the others that we've dealt with before," the girl with the purple hair, Lira stated. (Author's Note : I don't know the names of the girls except for Minami Kinoshita and Motoko Minagawa! So sorry, if anyone knows their names, please leave a message!)

"I-I wonder who she is.." Minami contemplated, still scared from the Hatsuharu incident.

* * *

Please Read & Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed! :)

Once again, Happy Lunar New Year!

(Author's Note : Edited!)


	9. Chapter 9: The Class Delinquent

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the longggg waiting time! I've been quite busy lately, but luckily my common tests have finally ended, so I'll finally have more time to start writing out chapters again.

This chapter is a filler chapter, it doesn't really contain a plot, but I hope that this can sedate your desires for a new chapter for awhile while I write the new one!

Anyways, Happy SUPER belated Valentine's day! I hope you had a good one! Though mine really sucked.

I really love you, my readers! It really makes my day when I get a comment from one of you! So please do comment! I really want to get feedback on my writing. Thank you to all my regular commenters! Seriously, you guys make my day :)

**MidnightheartXxX : Ah yes! I love it when Kyo shows his soft side to someone! He's really such a sweet boy who just doesn't know how to show his affections, isn't he? :) Thank you! **

**Esther-chan : Thank you so much! And I apologise because I've been really really busy lately. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**tikarose : Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :) **

**Jessluvswriting : Thank you! I hope you like this chapter! :D**

**indescribable music : Thank you so much! :D**

**MavelDC superhero fan : I thought I should give Kairi a little edge so she won't be such a boring character ;) Yes I love Momiji & Haru! Thank you! :D**

**XxMichyBabyxX : Thank you so much! I'll try my best to update as fast as I can :D**

**Kiri : Oh my gosh thank you so much! I'm really happy whenever someone tells me that my character isn't like a Mary Sue because I really don't want her to be! Thank you :**

Anyways, just a reminder, this is a filler chapter. So it may not be up to your expectations, because it surely wasn't up to mine! But I hope that you will forgive me, I'm trying my best to find time to write the chapters as fast as I can!

Please don't give up on this story, and please be patient with me!

Enjoy this chapter! :D

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket!**

* * *

_Chapter 9 : The Class Delinquent_

"Kai-chan! Wait up!" a childish voice rang through the hallways. Kairi turned around to meet Momiji who smashed his little body against hers, making her fall backwards. Luckily, Haru expected that and had quickly caught her before she fell.

"Ohayo (Good morning)," she smiled.

"You were awesome back there, Kai-chan! You really shocked them!"

"Did they do anything to you, Kairi? I'll kill them if they did…" Black Haru swore murderously. Kairi shuffled her hands, one around Momiji's shoulders, keeping him close to her, and the free hair moving up to Haru's face, poking his cheeks softly.

"I can handle these kind of people, Haru," she smiled, making his heart flutter. He was quickly pulled back to his sober self. He was then shocked to realize that he had remembered what Black Haru was doing, but quickly pushed aside those thoughts. "You don't have to worry about me."

"Yeah Haru!" Momiji scolded. "Kai-chan did learn martial arts afterall!" Haru was mentally slapping himself. How could he forget? She didn't learn to the depth that the boys did, but instead she had learnt martial arts only to the self-defense level. The girl was not as good as himself or Kyo, and nowhere close to Yuki's level, but she still could hold her own in a fight.

"Yeah, I had forgotten for a minute," he smiled at the girl, a genuine soft smile that he kept only for those who he deemed was special. She smiled even wider at him, and the smile reached her eyes, lighting them up for a second. His heart skipped a beat again as he saw in that moment, an image of the young Kairi with the same eyes and smile.

Their little 'moment' was interrupted when the bell rang above them. "Ah we'll be late for class!" Momiji exclaimed, grabbing both Haru and Kairi and running down the hall and into the class. They reached the doors in no time, and Haru and Momiji stepped in, asking Kairi to wait there as they inform the teacher of her arrival. Just a few minutes later, the teacher stepped out from the class and smiled at Kairi.

"Hello, I am Watanabe Honoka, the teacher in charge of this class," the middle-aged teacher smiled with kind eyes. Kairi gave her a small smile.

"I'm Sohma Kairi, Momiji and Hatsuharu's cousin," she bowed politely.

"Yes, another Sohma it seems? You're the first female Sohma that I've met," Watanabe-sensei smiled pleasantly. "It seems that the good-looking genes really run in the family."

Kairi blushed and the jolly sensei gave a hearty laugh. "Anyways, let's get you to class." Turning around, she slid open the classroom door and Kairi could hear the noise level drop drastically. She followed behind the teacher and stood beside her, in front of the class.

She glanced around the room, silently observing the faces of her classmates-to-be. She found Haru seated in window seat in the last row, and a grinning Momiji in front of him. Momiji grinned widely at her, and Haru gave her a small encouraging smile.

"1-D, this is your new classmate, Sohma Kairi. Please treat her well," Watanabe-sensei spoke. "Kairi-san, please introduce yourself." She gave her a supportive pat on the back, and moved back to lean against the teacher's desk.

"Watashi wa Sohma Kairi desu. Dozoyoroshiku Onegaishimasu (I am Sohma Kairi. Pleased to meet you)," she bowed and stood to look around the class again. A group of girls on the opposite side of the class from where Haru and Momiji were sitting were glaring at her. She took a second glance at them and realized that one of the girls that previously cornered her was sitting in the middle of the said group. After realizing that Kairi had spotted her posse, the said girl flicked her purple hair, turning to the other girls to start gossiping again. Kairi rolled her eyes mentally and turned back to the teacher.

"Thank you Kairi-san. Now, there's an empty seat beside Hatsuharu-san, why don't you take a seat there?" The group of gossiping girls suddenly spun their heads quickly to glare again at Kairi who just shrugged and walk to her seat. Apparently those girls weren't only the Yuki Sohma Fan Club members, but they were in general in the Sohma Fan Club.

She sat down and took out her notebook from her bag and quickly began to busy herself. Haru turned to glance at the gossiping girls and saw that they were glaring fiercely at Kairi. He then turned his body to face them and glared with even fiercer intensity until they noticed him and stopped harassing her. After the nuisance stopped, his grey eyes turned to gaze at Kairi until the bell rung.

* * *

"…. Ha-chan… Ha-chan…," He heard vaguely, feeling someone shake him gently. Blinking sleepily, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked up to see Kairi standing next to him, hand on his shoulder. He pulled himself up, sitting up straighter.

"Haru! You totally slept through Japanese History!" Momiji scolded playfully, pouting.

Haru just blinked lazily, running a hand through his hair. "What's next?" his deep voice sounded.

"English," Kairi noted.

"After that is recess!" Momiji jumped up excitedly. "We can go find Tohru and play with her!" Kairi gave him a smile, just as the door of the classroom opened. The students quickly shuffled to their seats and class soon began.

From the time when class started to the time class ended, Haru spent it staring blankly out the window or gazing at Kairi, and though the teacher knew, she dare not oppose the notorious delinquent that is Sohma Hatsuharu. By the time class ended, Haru had dozed off yet again, head lying on his table.

Kairi stood to awake him, only to be stopped by someone tapping her shoulder lightly. She turned around to meet Hojo Takashi, a classmate and also someone who was quite known to be a playboy.

"Hello Sohma-san, my name is Hojo Takashi," he smiled, extending his hand towards her. She eyed him for a second before shaking it.

"Nice to meet you Hojo-san," she said softly.

He scratched the back of his head lightly, and looked away from her. "Ano.. I was just wondering, if you would like to go for a movie with me sometime?"

"No, she wouldn't," a voice growled, and he found himself sitting on the floor only a few seconds later. He winced, before looking up at his 'attacker', only to find the supposedly sleeping delinquent of the class.

Apparently between the short period of time, Momiji had awakened the sleeping beast from his nap, not knowing what the consequences would be. And the said innocent rabbit soon hopped away from the classroom to go find Tohru.

Takashi gulped, slowly releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding. He stood up slowly, gathering all his courage, before walking past the said delinquent to face the petite blonde standing behind. He had a reputation to uphold afterall.

"Sorry Hatsuharu-san, but I wasn't talking to you," he said, trying to sound fierce but unable to get rid of the slight stutter in his voice. "I think you should mind your own business." Within seconds, the poor boy was lifted off the ground by his collar by the white-haired teen.

"Say that to my face you bastard," he swore, eyes glinting in anger.

Kairi quickly moved to his side, trying to calm him down. "Ha-chan, don't do this to Hojo-san, he was just asking me a question," she tried but to no avail.

"Sorry sweetie, but they just have to understand that you're mine and no one else can claim you," Black Haru stated, not loosening his grip on the boy's shirt collar.

"YAH HARU! SINCE WHEN WAS KAIRI YOURS? AND PUT HIM DOWN RIGHT NOW!" shouted a new brash voice. A mop of orange floated by, and detached Takashi from Haru's grasp.

"Why… you.." a vein popped from Haru's temple, as his face got even more black and Black Haru's blood boiled even more. "WHY THE HECK DID YOU INTERUPT ME?"

"YOU'RE ALREADY IN TROUBLE FOR RUNNING OUT OF SCHOOL THAT DAY, DO YOU WANT TO GET INTO MORE TROUBLE?"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE?"

Kairi sighed heavily, a sweat drop appearing on her temple, and she stepped between the two hot blooded boys.

She put a hand on both of their arms in an attempt to try and stop them, and Black Haru couldn't resist it any longer, and moved to wrap his arms around her. He pulled her into a tight embrace, shoving his nose into her hair. Kairi let him do so, sighing softly in resignation, seeing as he was still currently in Black mode, and rejecting his hug would probably make him even angrier.

Kyo gave him a warning look, as if to warn him not to try anything funny, and finally remembered the reason why he was in the freshmen's classroom for, and turned to face the watching class.

"YAH, listen up! Anyone who tries to mess with my little sister, will get hell not only from me," he threatened, cracking his knuckles menacingly, smirking a little. "But also from Haru who will give you hell every single day of your life." The said boy glared at them over the top of Kairi's head. The class looked on with fear in the eyes, and fortunately the tension lingering in the air was broken when the Prince entered the class.

"Hey, stop making a scene," the Prince ordered, staring at Kyo and the couple with a bored expression. Momiji bounced into the class and gathered the trio's lunch items, before grabbing Kairi's hand and running out of the classroom, giggling as he went. Haru, who had considerably calmed down, followed after them with a bored expression on his face and Kyo walked out coolly soon after. Yuki turned to the onlooking class, and announced an apology on his family's behalf, before calmly walking out of the class and following the group up to the roof top where their other friends were waiting.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Please Read & Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

(Author's Note : This chapter has been edited!)


	10. Chapter 10: The Close Call

Hi everyone!

Yay we've finally reached Chapter 10 of Tangled Fates! It's my first ever long story, so please be kind to me, I'm still quite new with this!

This chapter is certainly the longest one that I've written! It's more of a plot development chapter, where I merged some of the original story's plot together with my own so that my story can continue in it's development.

To be honest with you, I last read Fruits Basket a good.. 4 years ago? If I'm not wrong. So as I'm going along with my story, I'm reading it again, and my story starts around the middle of the series, so I'm writing this based purely on my memory. Hopefully it ties in, but if not I'll consider rewriting some parts after I've read it again.

Anyways, I would like to thank all my readers for sticking with me after 10 chapters! I really love to get reviews from you guys, it really really makes my day! My writing is not the best, and I really need some feedback on it so that I can improve and write better chapters for you guys, so please do drop me a review so that I know what is it I'm doing right or wrong!

**James Birdsong : Thank you! :)**

**Jessluvswriting : Thanks! :D**

**Meg L.H : Yes I wanted to show how Kyo & Hatsuharu really care for Kairi, so much so that they are even willing to stop arguing for once. & I get your point on how Kairi isn't a trophy to be won, but I actually wanted to show the Haru's possessiveness with that sentence. I did take your advice to consideration, and in this chapter I did write about how Kairi felt about it. Thank you for your comment! :)**

**MavelDC superhero fan : Thank you! Yes, Haru is adorable! I love reading your comments cause it makes me smile too! :D **

**Saki Chie : Thank you so much! :) Yes I'll try to update as quickly as possible!**

**tikarose : I'm trying to show how much Haru cares for her, until his mood completely depends on her. Thank you for commenting! :)**

**visions of a scarlet night : Thank you so much! :) He is my favourite character too! In this new chapter, I did write about Rin, though vaguely.**

**Vampiremisstress09 : Thank you so much! :D Haha I'll try my best to update as fast as I can so that you won't have to suffer so much then ;) When I don't want to do my homework, I find fanfictions and read them as well! **

**Odd'sgirl15 : Thank you! :)**

**icysu22 : Thanks! :)**

Anyways, I have taken all of your comments very seriously, and I'm trying to improve on the things that you guys have pointed out. Thank you! :)

Please enjoy this chapter, hopefully it gives you more insight on how the story is going to go from here. I'm trying to write as much as I can with all the little time that I find.

Please don't give up on this story, and please be patient with me!

Enjoy this chapter! :D

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket!**

* * *

_Chapter 10 : The Close Call_

A girl sat by the window in the pure white room. Her long, straight, black hair was down, her bangs were covering her eyes, and beneath those strains of hair, her black eyes stared out the window, void of expression. Her face was scrunched up into a frown, and she stared out the window with an intense look.

A knock on the door caught her attention, and she mumbled a small 'Come in'. The door opened and in walked a brown-haired boy. She averted her eyes from the boy and continued to look out the window.

"I thought I told you not to come, Hiro," she said, her voice cold and harsh.

"I have some news," Hiro replied. He paused for some dramatic effect. "Well, I heard from Hatori-ojisan that Akito let her go."

"Let who go?" she snapped back.

"Your best friend." He had never been able to say her name.

"Who? Oh…. Oh my god.." she gasped in realization, her eyes were now filled with shock and confusion. Tears welled up, and she sniffled.

How long has it been since she last saw her? It hadn't been easy going on without seeing that smile or hearing that laughter from that cheerful girl. On that fateful day, when she disappeared without any notice for 10 years, Rin could remember crying and crying nonstop, worrying and wondering where the younger girl had gone to, or whether she would ever come back. She could remember vividly that that was the day nice, innocent Haru started having a split personality and bad tantrums.

Hiro sat there, watching his cousin cry. He didn't have any emotions for that girl that everyone seem to sing praises about; he hadn't met her before. But he did hear many stories about her from Rin, about how she had been a pillar of support for Rin when her parents disowned her, about how that girl always seemed to be able to cheer her up when she's feeling down, amongst many other things.

Hiro was also not stupid, he could see that whenever Rin brought her up in front of Haru, he would have that sad, faraway look cast on his face. He always wondered about it, but didn't dare ask the bipolar boy.

While the younger boy sat there thinking, Rin had made her resolution. It was about time she did it, and she would do it not only for Kairi, but for her own conscience's sake too.

* * *

"Come on Kai-chan! You have to meet Tohru's friends!" Momiji cheered on, holding onto Kairi's slim wrist and running through the hallways energetically.

Kairi felt a bubble of excitement collect within her. She didn't have many friends, only those in the Sohma family, which she did not even keep in contact with while she was under Akito's care, and her only friend outside of the Sohma family was Tohru. She really was excited to meet Tohru's friends.

Finally, they reached the roof door, and Momiji pushed it wide open in his excitement.

"Tohru!" he exclaimed. "I brought Kai-chan with me!" He bounced towards the brunette, dragging along a nervous Kairi.

"Kairi-san!" Tohru smiled. "Please meet my friends! This is Arisa Uotani..." She gestured to a yellow-haired gangster-looking girl with an ankle-length skirt. The said girl grinned at the petite blonde and did a peace sign.

"Yo!" Uotani greeted, saluting the blonde.

"And this is Saki Hanajima," she gestured to another girl, with long pitch black hair, with a knee-length skirt.

"Pleased to meet you," Hanajima bowed, speaking with her usual monotone.

Kairi bowed as well, and exchanged greetings with both girls. "Pleased to meet you, Uotani-san and Hanajima-san. I'm Sohma Kairi."

"Hey don't get all formal with me! Just call me Uo," Uotani stated, putting up her hands as if in defence.

"And please, call me Hana."

"And yeah, Tohru talked about you that day," Uotani stated. "I'm surprised that Kyonkichi had such a sweet sister. I'm glad you didn't take after him." She grinned brightly at the girl and Kairi gave a small laugh.

"YAH I HEARD THAT!" shouted Kyo, who just appeared at the door of the roof with Haru beside him.

"Well, I said it so that you can hear it," the gangster smirked at the boy who was slowly getting angrier.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" And with that they started their daily bickering. Kairi looked on at the two, smiling. Her brother, who used to be so quiet, now had friends whom loved him for his brashness and clumsiness at showing his feelings. She wanted him to be happy and free, which is partly the reason why she accepted the pact with Akito that many years ago…

"Kairi," a voice said, interrupting her wandering thoughts. She looked up to see Haru, who promptly sat himself down beside her. "What's wrong? You look kind of sad."

"No it's nothing," she replied, shaking her head lightly. "Now Ha-chan, about just now.. You can't just go around telling everyone that I'm yours or something like that. They will get the wrong idea! We're cousins, remember?"

"But.. You did promise me once that you'll become my wife…" Haru pouted.

Kairi let out a small giggle at the sight of a menacing delinquent pouting so innocently at not getting what he wanted. "Ha-chan, that was ten years ago. We were just kids, we didn't know what we were saying."

Just then, Tohru initiated small talk with Hana and Kairi, and Haru turned to his other side to face Yuki and Momiji.

"But I was serious about it when I asked.."

"What? You're not making any sense, Haru," Yuki asked, staring at the cow in confusion.

"Nothing."

* * *

_A week or so later.._

"DAMNIT!" Haru screamed in anger, kicking his poor table far away from him. It toppled and made a loud noise, causing the rest of the class to look at him in shock. Kairi spun around to face the boy, looking at him in slight surprise. The outbreak was sudden, and she didn't expect it.

Just then, the whole class erupted into chaos. The teacher tried to intimidate Haru by yelling at him angrily for disrupting class, but one glare from the white haired boy sent him running out the class with the rest of the students. Momiji quickly made his way out of the classroom to the upper level classrooms to look for his cousins.

Kairi tried to reach out to her childhood friend and calm him down, but failed to do so when Takashi and his group of friends grabbed her and carried her out of class, stating that it was dangerous to be in the class with the delinquent.

"Let me go! Ha-chan needs me right now!" she struggled in their grasp, but they had a firm hand on her, restraining her petite body from running forward into the class.

"No! You can't go in there! He'll kill you!" Takashi tried to reason. "He's insane right now!" But his warning fell on deaf ears as she continued to struggle. She finally used one of her self-defense moves on the boys restraining her, and sped into the class, only to narrowly miss a flying chair thrown into the wall.

"Hey Haru!" a foreign voice shouted, and Kyo, Yuki, Tohru and Momiji stalked into class. The cow turned to them angrily, glaring fiercely at them.

"AH?" he snarled.

"He's become very violent," Momiji whispered to the pale, scared-looking Tohru.

Yuki shook his head in exasperation. "What are you doing, Haru…"

Another table top met with the floor with a loud clatter, and Haru replied angrily. "I'm just acting violently, can't you see? If you want to stop me, you'd better make sure you're ready!"

"It's been awhile since he last changed to Black.." Yuki muttered under his breath. Tohru heard it and looked shockingly at the younger Sohma, as if unable to believe that his previous tantrums were when he wasn't completely Black.

"Stop messing around, Haru. You're such a nuisance to us when you're violent," Kyo stated in a matter-of-fact manner, successfully making Black Haru even more angry.

"Shut up Baka Neko! Your very presence is a nuisance to me!" he yelled back.

Kyo's eyes flashed in anger. "Aah? You wanna say that one more time…"

"Ha-chan, don't do this please. You'll only hurt people this way," Kairi stepped towards him, trying to reason with him. If you had stared into Haru's eyes, you would've seen them soften just a little.

"Kairi, don't stand there, you'll get hurt," he stated, voice still hard with anger, and he pushed the girl gently a ways from him so that she wasn't standing anywhere near the impending fight. The rest sweatdropped at this kind act to said girl, while Kyo's eyebrow twitched dangerously. Kairi continued her efforts to try to reason with the cow but Black Haru had ignored her, turning away from her and back to the cat.

Yuki sighed, officially giving up on the two quick-tempered boys. "Don't be provoked, Baka Neko."

"Don't act so smart! Why don't you do something!"

"Haru.. I don't know your reasons but you shouldn't act violently in school," Yuki started, trying to get Black Haru to understand that the situation would only get worse.

"Che!" Haru scoffed. "Are you worried, Princess Yuki? You don't want me to be violent because I may change, and you'd get into trouble too?" He smirked, cracking his neck in a manner that seemed like he was getting ready to go into battle.

"No, I'm not saying that. It's more like.."

"IT'S TOO STUPID!" Haru yelled. "Why don't you pull yourselves together? You're fearful that your secret will come out but it's better if our secrets are exposed!"

"Hatsuharu-s.." Tohru started, but was interrupted as he grabbed her arm and started asking her if she agreed with him.

That was the final straw for Kyo, and he moved swiftly to give Haru a heavy punch, causing some blood to spurt out of said boy's mouth. "I don't know what your problems are but don't get Tohru involved in them.." he threatened, eyes cold and glaring at Haru with fierce intensity. He then gently push Tohru out of the way so she wouldn't get hurt.

Haru wiped the blood that had came from his mouth using the back of his hand, as he turned slowly to look at Kyo. "Don't act just for appearances, Baka Neko.. I know you want to make yourself look better in front of this woman," he spat, successfully getting on Kyo's nerves yet again. "What now, will you break my neck next?"

"Alright, you damn brat! You bastard.. I'LL BREAK ALL YOUR BONES FOR YA!" Kyo snarled, and the both of them lunged for each other.

Suddenly, there was a shift of movement, and water rained down from a bucket to meet the two boy's head, effectively making them stop their brawl.

"That's enough you Morons," Mayu-sensei sighed. "So have you two cooled down?"

"You insane teacher… WHY'D YOU DO THAT TO ME TOO?" Kyo screamed, shivering slightly from the sudden coldness.

"You'd also lost yourself, hadn't you?" the cool teacher smirked. She turned to the blonde girl behind a stunned Haru and smiled. "I heard that you're this idiot's sister," she smiled, gesturing to a fuming Kyo. "I'm glad to have heard from Watanabe-sensei that you're not at all like him."

"What was that?" Kyo yelled once again, and he was ignored by the rest.

"Ahhh.. That was refreshing.." Haru said, finally snapping out of his stupor.

"Oh yeah? Well then come over to the staff room," Mayu-sensei said, and she proceeded to drag the boy away. He put up no fight but instead allowed himself to be dragged off to meet his doom.

* * *

Please Read&Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

(Author's Note : This chapter has been tampered with! /cue dramatic gasp/ No, seriously, it's been edited.)


	11. Author's Note

I'm SOOOOO sorry that I haven't been updating!

Well, actually I'm having a pretty major writer's block, and have been for a few weeks.

It doesn't help that I've had a major nation-wide competition that seriously drained my energy and kept me busy. And now that it's over, I have another obstacle to face; my exams.

They're like in another week, and I haven't even started studying much, I'm so super screwed.

Anyways, please please be patient with me! I have a rough idea of what to write about, but I need to find the time and energy to write it out in coherent sentences.

So please be patient & kind with me!

Thank you & sorry again!


	12. Chapter 11: Transformation

Hi everyone!

I am SOOOO sorry for the long wait! I've been very much busy with lots of things, like competitions and mid year exams, and preparing for my appeal to get into a college next year.

I've also been suffering from a major writer's block, and only recently managed to think of what to write next! I'm sooo sorry for such a wait!

Anyway, I really love to get reviews from you guys, it really really REALLY makes my day! I love to hear feedback on my writing so that I can improve in my writing, so please do drop me a review so that I know what is it I'm doing right or wrong!

Time to answer my reviews! :)

**Fluer Moonrose Lampourge : Thank you very much! :) Glad you enjoyed it!**

**Jessluvswriting : Hehe I don't remember that! Really gotta start catching up on the chapters again! :)**

**Tikarose : Thank you! Yeah I had to do something to get the plot moving. I don't really want to stray much from the original story so I have to keep referring to the story! Hehe! :)**

**Sarinafu : Ah my dear, we're not really sure Haru is in love with her yet! It IS implied, but then again, he still has an old beau to take care of! Yes I really loved the idea of over-protective older brother, since my own is sooo not over protective. Hehe! Thank you so much! I'm glad you like my story! :)**

**Meg L.H : Yea there's not really a cliffhanger because I'm following the original story's plot. Oh the nationwide competition is just a once-every-two-years competition for all performing arts in my country! I'm in the Choir, so it's like a competition to test how good our choir is. You should try posting up the stories! Who knows, people might like them! And if you do post some stories, I'll be sure to go and check them out, especially if they're stories of the mangas I've read before :) Thank you very much for all your support!  
**

**Saki Chie : I'll try to as fast as I can :) **

**Lizzie-Lizzard : This chapter will explain exactly why he got mad! Though Rin's plan is not yet revealed. I'm glad you like my story! :)**

**Shifuni : Thank you! :)**

**TheAnnoyingOne97 : I'm so glad you like the story! :) Yes, I'll try to update as fast as I can :)**

**kishe : Sure! :) Thanks!**

Please enjoy this chapter! It's more of a filler chapter yet again, to try and bring the story more into the original story's plot. But I did add a few touches of my own, so I do hope you like it!

Please be patient with my updating skills. It's really difficult what with my nationwide exams coming up (I'm going to college next year), and I just can't find the time to write as much as I would like to.. I hope you'll still continue supporting me though! :)

Enjoy this chapter! :D See you at the end of it!

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket!**

* * *

_Chapter 11 : Transformation_**  
**

"Eh Kairi-san, aren't you coming?" Tohru asked, looking at the girl in question as she stood rooted to the floor, staring at the ground in thought. Kairi look up from her shoes, gave her a small smile and shook her head slightly.

"No, I'm not going. I'm going to help clean up this mess," she replied, hand gesturing to the broken window glass, overturned tables and broken chairs. "You go on ahead with the boys, Honda-san." Tohru nodded, and jogged a little to catch up with the boys who had yet to notice the blonde's absence.

Kairi turned around, facing the mess in slight apprehension, before grabbing a broom at the side of the classroom, and starting to sweep all the dirt up. Suddenly, the door to the classroom slid opened, and a few of her female classmates walked in, jumping up slightly in surprise at seeing the blonde still inside the dark classroom.

"Sohma-chan, didn't you go off with Hatsuharu-san and the rest?" a girl, Kairi recognized as Kinamoto Ryoko, asked cautiously, a little afraid of the blonde. She did seem rather unapproachable, what with all the protection she'd been given from her family members.

Kairi shook her head with a smile. "No, I'm going to tidy up the room as much as I can."

There was a slight pause. "Let us help you!" another girl, Watanuki Rena, exclaimed, moving to grab some more brooms from the side of the classroom. Her other friends began to pick up the fallen tables and chairs.

Kairi smiled slightly, happy at the opportunity to maybe make some new friends.

"Arigato (Thanks)!"

* * *

"I wonder if Hatsuharu-san is okay…" Tohru worried her bottom lip, Momiji's head leaning on her shoulder while her hand clasped his tightly. He squeezed her hand encouragingly, trying to stop her from panicking too much.

"He's probably getting lectured," Kyo snorted, rolling his stiff shoulders as an attempt to loosen them a little. Oh how much he needed a massage. Maybe Kairi could give him one when they went home; her massages have always been the best cure for any aches, ever since they were young.

"What could've happened to turn him black, Momiji?" Yuki asked, leaning against the wall nonchalantly, turning to look at the younger boy, who started worrying his lip, trying to remember.

"Ehhh I didn't see everything so I don't know…" Momiji trailed off, placing a finger on his chin in thought. "He was acting normal before… But something may have happened because recently… He seems somewhat depressed."

Speak of the devil and he will come.

Haru strolled out of the room, and after awhile of questioning about what had happened, the cow strolled off coolly, mumbling something under his breath about finding Kairi. He stuck his hands into his pocket and his posture showed that he was seemingly undisturbed by the recent turn of events, even though his parents were to meet with the Principal in a few hour's time, and he probably would have a lifetime worth of punishments as retribution for the disaster that he had caused.

"Will he be alright by himself?" Tohru worried. Never before had she seen anyone so nonchalant about a situation such as this. If she didn't know any better, it was almost as if it was just a façade to fool everyone into believing that he was alright. But this was Hatsuharu, he would surely be unfazed by this… Right?

"I'll go," Yuki volunteered, making his way to his cousin. "Honda-san, I'm sorry. Please go home ahead of me." With that, he too stalked after the other, walking at a much quicker pace than the former. Tohru stared after them, eyebrows furrowed into a frown, mouth open as if she wanted to say something.

"Let them be, let them be…" Kyo kicked himself off the wall he was leaning on, leaving a dirty black footprint on the already dirtied wall. "I'm going too. I'll be late getting to the Dojo." He cracked his knuckles and attempted to give a massage to his sore shoulder.

"Yuki's probably the most suitable among us," Momiji assured Tohru, tugging on her hand, urging her to go. After a moment of consideration, Tohru nodded her head slowly in agreement, but the uneasy feeling in her heart didn't leave.

"By the way, you shouldn't get so close to him when he's black," Kyo warned. "You really can't protect yourself at such times." He tried to wear a nonchalant face but failed miserably, his true intention showing clearly for all to see.

Tohru was, however, one of the densest human beings on Earth, and didn't catch his drift. "Eh? But… I don't want to be rude to Hatsuharu-san…" She shook her head lightly, as if she couldn't even fathom the thought of being rude to him. She probably couldn't be rude to anyone in the world even if she tried her hardest.

A sweat drop appeared on Kyo's head as he sighed in exasperation. "He's the rude one you know?"

Momiji stood there with a poker face, staring at the bickering couple. Or more like a steadily growing angry Kyo and a confused Tohru. Suddenly, his face contorted into a cheeky grin. "I DON'T LIKE IT!" he exclaimed loudly all of a sudden, causing the two to jump up in surprise and spin around quickly to look at him oddly.

"That's what Kyo's trying to say!" His poker face faded to his normal innocent look, and suddenly a pink, flowery heart appeared in the background behind him. Tohru rubbed her eyes in confusion, wondering to herself if she was seeing things, while Kyo paid no heed to it.

Kyo's face quickly turned into an angry red, and Momiji quickly noticed it, plugging his ear tightly as the former shouted loudly, "MOMIJI! GET OUT OF HERE! DON'T SAY SUCH USELESS THINGS!"

* * *

A lone figure stood outside the classroom, staring through the broken glass, looking at the clean floor and upright tables. Yuki caught up with him and stood beside him silently, wondering what Haru was doing, looking into the classroom. Maybe the former had saw Kairi. He glanced in but saw no one, only neat rows of tables.

"I thought I'd clean up the classroom but it's already done…" Haru answered his cousin's silent question. He paused for awhile, as if in thought, before looking up to the ceiling. "Fairies really do exist…" He stared dreamily at the ceiling, as if looking at some higher being up in Heaven.

Yuki sweatdropped. "No… Kai and some girls in your class cleaned it up," he replied and quickly continued before Haru could ask where his beloved cousin was. "More importantly, you…"

"You should call her Tohru," Haru interrupted, looking down at his shoes. "You have no problem about calling Kairi as suchi. So you should do the same for Tohru as well. They are both girls, after all."

Yuki looked stunned for awhile, as if he didn't believe what his cousin was saying. His face quickly contorted to one of anger. "You're wrong! You shouldn't be thinking of me, I don't matter right now. Right now you should concentrate on yourself, Haru!" Yuki felt himself yell, fists balling, knuckles white from clenching his fist too tightly.

Haru turned his surprised grey eyes to look at the violet ones belonging to his older cousin. He didn't expect Yuki to act so violently to his statement. "You're always like this, Haru… You're always worrying about others… While I… I can only think of myself." Yuki broke the eye contact, turning his head away in shame, and cast his eyes to look at his shoes.

Haru gave him a confused look, though the older one didn't see it as he was too busy admiring his shoes. "Huh… You say that you can only think of yourself? Such a person, wouldn't have been worried about me and come after me." This caused a surprised Yuki to turn back to the cow, who met his eyes once more. "Thank you… Besides, I'm the selfish one. I only think of myself. If I didn't, I wouldn't become Black and be violent.

"I've… I've been dumped," he whispered, leaning against the wall and slumped his shoulders, as if in defeat. He was finally admitting it, meaning that there would be no more reasons to be in denial or lie to himself for, because he was finally saying it out with a witness at hand. "When I was rejected, at that moment, I didn't feel anything. But as the days went by, I managed to rile myself up a little and I became irritated. And then I couldn't control myself…"

"So Akito…" Yuki trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging. He didn't need to finish his sentence, for Haru already knew what he was about to say. A heavy silence filled the air between the two, as if daring either one to break it.

"Our dating was a secret between the two of us. Although Sensei might have known… This is the first time I've ever talked about it because, we're both Juunishi," Haru slid down to the floor and rested his head against his hand. At that moment, in Yuki's eyes, the tough gangster was reduced to a small, insecure child. Yuki felt much sympathy for the younger; he had really cherished his relationship with Rin. "Ever since she got hurt, she's changed… Whenever I went to visit her at the hospital, she wouldn't be in her room. It was as if she was avoiding me completely… I didn't know what she was thinking about and then she dumped me…"

The haunting words floated into Haru's head. _'I don't need you anymore. I'm tired of you.' _He felt his heart clench in pain as he doubled up to rest his hands on his knees.

"Why..?" he whispered so softly that Yuki thought that he might have imagined it. His eyes rested on his younger cousin, filled with pity and empathy for him. "But even so… I still want to see her." Memories of them together flashed in his mind's eye, coming to rest on the two of them happily walking down the street, hand in hand.

Yuki shifted uncomfortably in the silence, unsure of exactly what to say to comfort the younger. "… So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going… to be scolded for making such a mess of a classroom," he muttered, staring up at the mouse. "No… They'll probably laugh at me." He added softly.

Yuki felt a sweatdrop hang on his temple. "That's not what I meant," he deadplanned.

"Yeah, what should I do?" he trailed off, focusing his attention to the end of the corridor to his left.

A familiar figure was stalking towards them, hair swishing slightly as she strolled. Haru gave a small smile to Kairi and she returned it, stretching her hand towards him to help him off the ground. He took it and stood up, not releasing the grip on her hand.

"I cleaned up the class…" she said conversationally. "Your bags are still on the table." The two of them nodded, and they slowly made their way into the class.

Suddenly, quick footsteps sounded towards the three, and Kairi felt her hand being yanked violently away from her cousins and towards a torso.

The next few seconds passed by in slow motion.

Kairi's mouth dropped open slightly in surprise, as she glanced up and took a look at her attacker. It was Hojo Takashi.

She felt a familiar weird feeling engulf her senses, and dreadfully anticipated the reaction that Takashi would definitely have if he saw her transform.

A loud pop sounded throughout the corridors.

* * *

Oh my! Will someone find out about the Sohma family secret? What exactly is Kairi's transformation form like?

Please Read & Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!

(Author's Note : Edited too!)


	13. Chapter 12 : Brink of Insanity

Hi everyone!

Finally, we will find out what is Kairi's transformation form! Are you guys excited? In this chapter, I won't explain the background behind such a form, but I promise you, I will explain it in the future. Quite a few people have been trying to guess her form already, but I did give you guys a clue in the previous chapters. Hope you guys caught on to it!

Anyway, I'm going to try to pick up my writing speed with this story and try writing ahead of the chapters instead of writing the next chapter after posting one up. So updates might come in faster, but let me emphasize the MIGHT. I still have to juggle quite a few commitments, what with my college appeal application due sometime soon, and my having to study for my important exam that will decide which path I'm going to take in the future...

Okay, so the updates won't be faster. I'm sorry.

Anyway, reviews make my world go round! I love to hear feedback and suggestions on how to improve my writing, or maybe something wrong that I've accidentally written inside my stories. I take the reviews very seriously, and criticisms and suggestions even more so, so if you point out a mistake, whenever I have time, I'll be sure to go back to that chapter, and edit that mistake, so that future readers will find the story even better. So please, drop me a review to let me know what I'm doing right or wrong!

**Shifuni : Thank you very much! Yes, she's going to transform, but Hojo won't find out her secret, he's not that big of a character in my story.**

**Jessluvswriting : Ah but we won't ever know his reason, well, not in this chapter, since the two cousins will be trying frantically to detach Kairi from the situation so that Hojo wouldn't find out any secrets that aren't meant to be found out ;)**

**MavelDC superhero fan : You're welcome, I always love it when the stories that I really like gets updated and doesn't just stop there, so I'll try my best not to do that with this story. It'll get harder moving on in this year because of my exams, but I'll try! Haru won't be saying much, given the situation at hand, but I'll try to touch about his reactions in the future :)**

**harajukudarkangel : Thank you very much! :) Glad you enjoyed it.**

**pacificatlantic : Thank you! No I don't think I'm very good, but I'm trying to improve myself each and everyday! You should read more good stories with good english, and you'll find that your own writing improves further and further! Have faith, you'll get there one day! :) I'll try to update whenever I can, though it'll be hard given the time constraints of this year :(**

**Tikarose : Sorry for such a long waittt :( Yes, I'm starting to try and blend some of Kairi's faults into the story, thanks for the advice! :) You'll see more of her faults as we go along, but I can't do it TOO suddenly, if not people might start disliking her without figuring out why she's that way in the first place. Yeahhh..**

**Nemo-chan : You'll see :) I'll answer you at the end of the chapter ;)**

**88dragon06 : Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy it! I love him when he's black too! Soooo sexy X.X, sorry I'm the kind of girl who likes badass guys HAHA. I'll try my best to update as fast as I can! :)**

**khr lover : Thanks for all your advice! I really took the time to analyze all that you've said, and I made the effort to go back to my previous chapters to correct the mistakes that you've pointed out. I'm sorry for all the mistakes :( Well you see, the last time I actually read Fruits Basket was quite a few years ago, so basically I forgot how the characters call each other, and some other important facts. Thanks so much for pointing those out to me. I think your Japanese is quite sound! I'm jealous x.x. I had to use a Japanese-English translator thingy to get some of my phrases. Reading back on my previous chapters, I saw inconsistencies with names and such and I went to correct those, thanks for pointing that out. Ah, the thing about Hojo's name, thanks for suggesting that name! I used it :) And about the Hoshina Utau reference, yes, in fact I did use her as Kairi's base image. But she surely doesn't act like her. Ah, the published date was when I published the first ever chapter, so don't worry, I didn't not update it for THAT long. Yes, I'm continuing this story, and I don't plan on dropping it anytime soon, just that you'll have to be REALLY patient cause this year is a tough year for me :( Anyway, thank you! I'm glad you read my notes and stuff like that, thanks for your support for my story & my college appeal thing, really feel loved right now : **

**xxJuBoxx : Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! Haha, well, if you read the manga, you would know who dumped Haru, but then again if you didn't, it'll be explained in the future :) So don't worry! And yes, TohruxKyo is really adorable and I want to squeeze a little of that into my story :)**

Phew, that was a LONG reply-to-reviews session.

Oh, thank you **khr lover **for pointing out to me the weirdness of Hojo's name. So instead of Hojo Takahashi, he will now be known as Hojo Takashi.

Please be patient with my updating. I'm so sorry that it's so inconsistent... I'm trying to squeeze in whatever time I can find to write chapters, but I'm struggling to find time right now to even relax, so yeah, bite me. I hope you all will keep being patient with me, you guys are such lovely readers, as I'm really trying my best!

Anyway, please enjoy this chapter! You'll see more of Kairi's past, well, just a glimpse of it, and you'll see her transformation and everything. Also this chapter is quite parallel to the chapter in the manga, but I tried to cut a few scenes and stuff, so it won't be like reading the manga all over again.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter! :)

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket!**

* * *

_Chapter 12 : Brink of Insanity_

A loud pop sounded throughout the corridors.

Smoke started emerging from where the blonde was originally standing as a mini explosion appeared from the spot.

Haru had thought quickly, pushing Takashi -who thankfully didn't see the explosion as he was spinning his head to look around the corridors for possible suspects of the loud pop sound- further in to the corridors to buy time for his cousins to escape into the safety of the classroom.

Yuki had also reacted quickly, catching the girl's clothes midair as she transformed into her smaller form, and also catching the figure before twirling around quickly and closing the classroom door behind him as he entered it. He let out a loud sigh of relief, placing the figure on a nearby tabletop.

"That was close," he muttered under his breath.

The yellow smoke from the explosion had settled and in its place sat a small soft-yellow fox that looked exactly like the toy that Akito had given her many years ago. It had large violet eyes, and a large, bushy, yellow tail with the ends of it a near white.

The fox cocked its head to the side. "It's been a long time since I last transformed," the voice said. "It'll probably be awhile before I transform back." Yuki nodded in understanding, folding her uniform carefully before placing it in on the table top.

Vague shouting came muffled through the classroom doors and the two cousins glanced at the door distractedly. The patter of quick footsteps sounded and the classroom door slid open, allowing a slightly miffed Haru to storm in. He glanced at the fox once, and his grey eyes softened considerably.

"We should go."

* * *

Tohru walked home alone, eyes permanently fixated on the ground as her face held a slightly worried expression. _'I wonder what happened to Yuki-kun and Hatsuharu-san… I'm worried that we can't help him…' _she thought considerately, biting her bottom lip slightly in anxiety.

A rather loud scream could be heard, successfully distracting the worried riceball. She glanced around her, wondering who had screamed, and her eyes were met with a rather strange sight. But then again, everything around her was strange, so this could be considered as a normal sight.

A _woman_, donned in a beautiful furisode (Author's Note: a woman's long sleeved kimono), stood slightly away from _her_, and a puddle of books were scattered at _her_ feet. "The bottom! The bag's bottom!" _she_ exclaimed, and Tohru quickly noticed that _her_ hand was clutching a broken paper bag that was split on the bottom.

She added one and one together and figured the situation. She quickly moved to help the _lady_ with _her_ books. "Ano! Let me help you!"

* * *

Tohru sat beside the beautiful _lady,_ whom she had quickly guessed as the frequently-panicking Ritsu Sohma, in Shigure's humble abode, said person teasing the poor _woman _so badly that _she _had already broken into many panic attacks within the short period of time that _she _had been in there.

The writer turned his attention towards Tohru. "Tohru-kun, you don't want to wear your uniform all day, right? Why don't you go change?" he smiled kindly. She quickly agreed, moving up the stairs to her room to grab a change of clothes. Shigure nervously turned to his cousin, scratching his shoulder unconsciously. "Rii-chan… You should also change. You shouldn't wear things such as a furisode," he sighed. Ritsu shifted uncomfortably, apologizing softly as _her_ eyes were downcast. "Well… That's okay but, do you also go to college in a furisode?"

"Eh? EH? EH? I SHOULDN'T? I SHOULDN'T AFTER ALL, SHOULD I?" _she _panicked, wheezing slightly. Shigure smirked evilly to himself. He just _loved _teasing people and watching them squirm.

A mop of grey hair peeked into the room. "Is someone visiting?" Yuki enquired slightly, before his eyes met with Ritsu's. His violet eyes widened considerably in surprise as his elder cousin greeted him pleasantly. "You're the same as always, Ritsu." He wasn't surprised when _she _jumped up, exclaiming loudly as _she_ was thrown into a full-blown panic attack.

Shigure reached his hand out, poking the panicking _lady _in the armpit, and said person collapsed to the floor, totally calmed down in that instant. "I learned from an uncle that 'To deal with Rii-chan's panics, just poke him in the armpit'," he said proudly, blowing his finger as if it were a gun. "But Rii-chan mustered all his courage to come and visit, so please be kind, Yuki-kun." Said mouse sweatdropped, defending himself under his breath.

"Anyway, it has been awhile. I met your mother earlier… But how have you been, Ritsu?" Yuki smiled gentlemanly, turning away from his writer cousin.

The _lady _stuttered nervously. "Y-Yes. I've been well. It's truly been a long time. Yuki-san, you're looking good as well," _she _smiled softly. "You really resemble your brother Ayame so much…" _she _added, thinking that _she _had just complimented the mouse.

A dark shadow cast itself on Yuki's face as he spun away from the Monkey, quickly moving to the stairs to get to his room. "Make yourself comfortable…" he muttered darkly, throwing Ritsu into another panic attack.

"Okaeri (Welcome home) Yuki-kun!" Tohru greeted pleasantly, coming down the stairs. After explaining the situation a little, Tohru finally remembered her worries from before. "Ah Yuki-kun, was Hatsuharu-san alright?"

Yuki went silent for a few moments, fist clenched tightly at his side. "… In the end, it's up to Haru to decide, whether to fight or not."

* * *

"It's been awhile since I met with Aunt and Uncle," the fox stated, atop of Haru's mop of white hair. They, Haru, more specifically, walked down the empty corridors, trying to waste some time before Haru's parents would come to meet the teachers.

He gave a soft hum in agreement. "It's been a long time since you met anyone in our family," his low voiced stated, and a comfortable silence fell between them again.

"Ne, Ha-chan…" she started slowly, unsure of whether or not to pursue the conversation. "I heard what you said to Yu-chan earlier…" He froze in his step, shocked by her words.

"Kairi… I'm sorry, I didn't tell you about me and Rin…" he tried after a pregnant pause, but was interrupted when a loud pop sound rang throughout the empty halls, and the blonde fell from the sky and into his arms, literally.

He let her down onto the floor gently, averting his eyes from her nudity, before hastily taking off his white uniform shirt and wrapping it around her body. He fumbled inside his book bag (Author's Note: Yes, he actually has one but doesn't use it often) and took out her clothes before handing it to her. She took it and slipped into an empty classroom, quickly changing into her clothes.

When she came out, fully dressed this time, she handed him his uniform shirt which he put on. He opened his mouth to continue what she had been talking, but she silenced him with a finger on his lips.

"It's okay," she smiled. "You have no obligation to tell me about your relationship with her." _'Though I already knew long ago, with Akito telling me everyday that you wouldn't come and find me anymore.' _She felt an unfamiliar emotion settle at her stomach. It may her feel uneasy and insecure. She hated it.

* * *

_A month had passed since she first started living in the hellhole that was called the main house of the Sohma family. But to the young child, it felt like a year had gone by._

_All she ever saw was darkness. All she ever felt was gloom and sadness. And the loneliness ate away at her heart, ate away at her soul._

_Everyday _he _would come by, but she would never see _his _face. The only way she knew that _he _came was that _his _voice would sound through the thin paper door that separated her from the outside world._

_The horrid paper door that separated her from her freedom._

He_ said horrid things to her everyday, horrid things that tore at her soul and ate at her sanity._

_At first she would resist; she would try to cover her ears so she wouldn't have to hear, but after a few weeks of having no other human presence, she clinged onto any sign of human life, even if it was the voice that told her horrid things that she would otherwise rather not hear._

_She had long given up hope on her prince rescuing her. Her prince was but a boy who didn't even know where she was or whether she was alright._

_And if what _he _was saying was true, her prince had already forgotten about her and was pining after her best friend._

_She curled up into a ball._

_She strained her ears to hear the pitter patter of footsteps and knew that _he _was coming for _his_ daily visit. When the sound stopped in front of her door, she strained to hear _his _cold voice speaking harsh words to her, but she heard nothing. After a few moment of pregnant silence, the paper door slid open to show a lone figure that she found familiar._

_The figure came closer, and wrapped his arms around her. She felt safe in his big arms, and though he was no prince of hers, she knew that he could at least save her from falling into the brink of insanity. _

"… _T-Tori-chan…" she whispered, voice hoarse from not using it for so long. He glanced at her through his side bangs, and tears welled up in his eyes when he saw that her eyes were dull and lifeless. He could just remember, one month ago that her eyes had been shining with the joy of life and youth. Right now, her eyes resembled one of an old person who had seen many years of life's cruelty, and his heart broke at the fact that she was no old person._

_She was only five._

"… _Tori-chan…" she tried again. "…Tasukete (Save me)…"_

* * *

Hatori jerked awake. _'That dream again.' _He sighed heavily. He wouldn't show it, but he'd always been shaken at the look of utter despair that Kairi had given him, on the day that he went to visit her in that horrid room.

There was a feeling of guilt in his heart. She had been on the verge of insanity, and he didn't do _anything _to help. The rational side of him knew that he _couldn't, _not without facing the wrath of Akito if he ever found out, and of course the inevitable capturing of the child yet again. But the irrational side of him always thought that he _could_ have saved her there and then, but he just _didn't._

He sighed again, shaking his head to dispel the thoughts that he was having. No use fighting with himself now, it was too late for regrets. He heard the sound of his phone ringing in the distance and sighed, getting up from his seat at the desk to get it.

"Ha-san!" the voice sang as he answered. He sighed yet again, eye narrowing slightly in annoyance. Just what he needed the least; an annoying Shigure.

"What is it," he asked, not bothering to hide the hostility in his voice.

"Aww Ha-san, don't be grumpy! I bet you've been sighing all day today! Don't sigh, it'll take three seconds off of your life!" Shigure sang. Hatori blinked. That blasted dog knew him more than Hatori gave him credit for.

Hatori sighed just for fun this time. "What did you call me for, Shigure?" he let a small smile grow on his face.

"Tut tut, Ha-san! I just told you not to sigh!" Shigure sang annoyingly, somehow knowing that Hatori really wasn't as annoyed as he seemed to be. But he'll rather die then to say it to Hatori. He just knew that if he said anything, Hatori will take his revenge the next time, with a needle. "I merely called to say that Rii-chan is here today. He broke a plate, and Tohru-kun's hurt herself in the mess. So please come and see her if you're free."

Hatori thought quickly. He wanted to see his lovely cousin again, to check if she's okay. It's been awhile since his last visit anyway. "I'll come by tonight, if it's alright."

"Ara? Arara? What?" Shigure just couldn't resist an opportunity to embarrass the Dragon. He winced slightly in anticipation for the amount of pain he would receive the next time he needed an injection. "Ha-san, you're doing just as I asked. Could it be… Are you secretly in love with Tohru-kun?"

Hatori was flabbergasted. Did he just suggest that he was a pedophile? Sure, she acted just like Kana, but he definitely didn't look at her in any romantic point of view. He was so caught up with Shigure's bluntness and stupidity that he had forgotten to reply to said dog.

He only realized his mistake when the dog shouted into the phone. "WHAT? IS IT TRUE?"

He felt a stress mark at his temple at this outburst, and he could already feel one of his black hairs turning white. "No. I'm just at a loss of words because of your stupidity," he said firmly, hastily putting the phone back into the receiver. Sighing, he rubbed the bridge of his nose gently. _'I can't even fathom the fact that I'm related to you, Shigure.'_

* * *

Answering your previous questions...

**Nemo-chan : Yes! Kairi's a fox! :) Here's a cookie for giving the correct answer /gives cookie/**

**khr lover : Yes she's a fox! Thanks for the image, I went to view it! Such a cute fox :) (I love foxes). Here! Have a cookie /gives cookie/  
**

Read & Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed! :)_  
_


	14. Chapter 13: An Old Story

Hi everyone! :)

I apologize so very much for the long and dreadful wait for this chapter to be released. Well you see... I have a valid reason for that... /laughs nervously/.

My Prelims for my final paper are coming up just next week! And I almost died from guilt because I spent the time I should use to be studying, to write this chapter for you guys! But of course, it is SO worth it.

Readers Studying.

DEFINITELY.

As I speak, there is a geography book right beside me, just waiting to be read. But that's not the point.

The point is that my exams are coming up really really _really_ soon and I'm super sorry to say that it'll take quite some time for me to post chapters up, because my impending doom is arriving, and yes, it's _that _bad.

You can rest assured that whenever I find time, like during study breaks and such, I'll try to write as much as possible and as decently as possible and I'll post a chapter for you guys! So _please _be patient with me!

Anyway, reviews reviews reviews! Thank you very much for them! They really really make my day.

Which is quite something, because my days are really sucky now that I have to study basically 24/7.

Not the point... Alright, I love to hear feedbacks about my writing so that I can improve and give you guys better quality work in the future, so please send me a message, anon or not, telling me what I need to improve on, or what I'm doing good.

Thank you!

**harajukudarkangel : Yes she's a fox! Did you expect that? :) Thank you very much, yes I'll try to update ASAP! :)**

**MarvelDC superhero fan : Yes, I actually wanted to give you guys another glimpse of her past in this chapter, but I felt that I should spread out her past in a few chapters so that I won't spoil the suspense and mystery behind her. I'm thinking of squeezing in a flashback in the next chapter, so look forward to that! :) Thanks very much, I really appreciate your comments :) They make me really happy! **

**khr lover : Thanks so much for your feedback & advices! :) I'm really glad that you point them out to me, so that I can improve my writing :) Really realy appreciated. Yes, I love long stories as well! & I just _love _HaruxOC stories, hence I started thinking of one for my own & finally got enough courage to try writing it down! So I'm really really glad that you like my story :) I really didn't think that many would like it... Oh yes, Kagura will appear sometime in the future, and I'm taking your idea into consideration! :)**

**88dragon06 : Thank you! Hehe :) Yes I LOVE Ritsu, he's HILARIOUS! & yea I was thinking bout Haru shirtless as well ;) & the adorable scene of a fox sitting on someone's head, ohhh how I just _love _foxes. They. are. _adorable!_ /AHEM/ anyway, yes I love Shigure & Hatori! They're just so comical together!  
**

**Nemo-chan : Thank you! Hehe /gives you another cookie secretly ;)/  
**

**Ripplerose : Thanks! Yes, don't worry! I'm definitely going to post more chapters :) Just a little slowly... Yes I love foxes! Hehe :) Thank you so much! I'm so glad you find my writing good :)**

**Shifuni : It's alright, I'm just thankful that you reviewed! :) Thank you! Yes, I love foxes, especially small baby ones! /squeals/ **

**Nobody : Yes sir! I'll try my best! :)**

**Krys : My heart stopped when I read your first line! HAHA thank you so much! I'm so glad you found Kairi an original character, I was sooo scared that people might label her as a Mary Sue. I'm trying not to make her seem like that, and to show that she has some character & isn't typical, y'know? Yes, I love Utau, so I decided to make Kairi look like her! Don't you think she'll look good with Haru? Hehe. Oh yes, I'm going for the quiet/calm & yet undergoing through a hard time but trying to get through it in one piece. Many people say that she isn't like Kyo, so I'm trying to make her seem a _little _more like him, but that isn't going to be in this chapter because it just doesn't fit. Hehe : Yes! I actually love Black Haru a lot, and I wanted to show both his sides and how Kairi has an effect on them. Oh you totally read my mind about the RinxHaruxKairi love triangle that is totally about to unfold! I'm going to shed some light on that in a few chapter's time, so please look forward to that :) Yeah, I don't plan to ignore Haru's former relationship, but I have to admit, it is a little hard to write about that and yet show him having feelings for Kairi, because in the Manga, he has really deep feelings for Rin. Hmm.. Anyway, I'll think about it a little more :) I always wanted an older brother like Kyo too! But my brother is just... irritating. Hahah : Thank you so much for your insights ;) It seriously made my day! :)**

Whoa, that was even longer than last time! But that makes me happy ;)

Anyways, I would like to emphasize yet one more time. **Please be patient with my speed of writing! **I'm really struggling, but I'm trying my best so I hope you understand .

Please enjoy this chapter! You'll find out about the background of Kairi's transformation form, so I hope you're looking forward to that! :)

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket! **

* * *

_Chapter 13 : An Old Story_

The dry leaves and twigs along the pavement crunched underneath her shoe noisily, though her footsteps were light, as she walked the familiar path home.

She had left Haru in the hands of his parents, after staying for a little bit with him and greeting his parents again after such a long time of absence. His parents were nice people, a little nonchalant about how they raised their son, but nice nonetheless.

…Well alright, they were hardly even around to be nonchalant about how they raised their son, but still, the point was that they were nice people.

So here she was, making her way home, stewed in her thoughts. She contemplated about everything; about her past few weeks staying at Shigure's house outside the Sohma premises, her budding friendships with Tohru, Uo, Hana and her classmates, her renewed relationships with her family members.

She was happy, very happy. But she still couldn't shake off the fact that she couldn't be happy, afterall, she wasn't allowed to be.

Her mind wandered off to the last thing Akito had said to her a few weeks ago, before her departure from the main house.

'_Don't you ever forget, Kairi, that you aren't allowed to get too close to them, especially that Honda Tohru girl,' he _had warned. _'You know what would happen to them if you do.'_

An involuntary shiver streaked down her spine. She shook her head lightly to dispel the unhappy thoughts, and carried on her way, not noticing that the slight glint in her eyes clouding.

The house was in viewing distance, and she could hear loud shrieks and shouts coming from it's direction. She furrowed her eyebrows, a little confused about who was screaming and about what, and walked a little faster, curious to find out what was going on.

"- I'm a worthless being, but even so in life I'm more shameless than any other person… THAT PART OF ME IS THE MOST IRRITATING!" she heard a familiar voice wail in despair. "I should be punished! Punish me God…" She was met with the sight of a lone figure on the edge of the roof of Shigure's home, kneeling down with their hands reaching upwards to the sky, as if pleading to God for mercy. She only knew of one person who could be so dramatic and who would plead for mercy so shamelessly.

Ritsu.

"You don't need to do such a thing!" she could hear Tohru shout desperately, and she made her way Yuki and Tohru, who stood in her line of vision, just a ways from her. "It's okay to be shameless, because you're living! It's because we're alive that we can laugh or worry!"

Kairi froze in her step, Tohru's words pulling at her heartstring more than any other. She felt as if a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. _'It's okay to be shameless…'_

After hearing her encouraging words, Ritsu lost his concentration, and hence his balance, and fell sideways. Tohru covered her face in fright, unable to watch the potentially gruesome scene, as the rest watched on, frozen in horror. At the last moment, Ritsu grabbed onto the side of the roof like a monkey on a tree, hanging only by his the tips of his fingers. With great upper body strength, unbeknownst for such a frail person, he swiftly pushed himself up again onto the roof, before crouching down on the edge and clutching his ankle tightly.

"I hurt my ankle…" he whined pitifully, as the rest of them felt huge sweatdrops roll from their temples in exasperation.

* * *

"I had only heard that Honda-kun was injured," Hatori stated simply, wrapping bandages tightly around Ritsu's ankle as the man apologized to him profusely. Shigure sighed, exasperated, and simply muttered something about a lot of things happening within such a short period of time.

After the dragon had tended to both Tohru and Ritsu's injuries, he proceeded to perch himself on the porch beside his favourite little cousin, who's hand clutched a love novel that Shigure had lent her. On her petite nose sat a pair of frameless reading spectacles, and she was so engrossed in her novel that she didn't notice him beside her. Shigure too, moved himself to sit next to his childhood friend, and handed him a new English novel that he had recently found and knew that the dragon would like.

The three sat in a comfortable silence as the rest of the occupants in the house bustled around, preparing for Ritsu and Hatori's one-night stayover at their humble abode.

The dragon peaked out of the corner of his eye to glance at Kairi. He had taken notice that for awhile now, she was coughing slightly, but as she didn't seem to notice herself doing so, he shrugged it off as a slight itch in her throat. A thought suddenly struck him, reminding him that he needed to tell the blonde his offer.

"Kairi," he started, and said girl looked up at him, lavender eyes staring up at his grey one. "Would you like to go somewhere with me next Saturday afternoon?"

Shigure looked up at Hatori in mock surprise. "My my Ha-san. Not one fair lady, but two?" he teased, eyes wide open as he winked at the doctor playfully.

Kairi's violet eyes were clouded in confusion as she looked up at the two adults (well, Hatori was one), eyebrows furrowed slightly, not understanding what Shigure was going on about.

"Are you envious? Are you captivated by her? You must want to take her for yourself. **My lovely wife!**"Fluorescent pink floral hearts appeared in the background behind Shigure as his obsidian ores lit up, like the eyes of a child on Christmas day.

"If you keep saying such idiotic things… I'll meet you at your funeral," Hatori sighed, staring right through Shigure. Well, not really quite through Shigure, but at the person behind him. The writer froze as he felt a murderous intent from behind his person, turning around slowly, and came face to face with a fuming over-protective brother.

"Ah, okaeri Onii-san (Welcome home brother)," Kairi smiled slightly, getting up from her seat on the porch and hugging the orange head slightly. Said cat turned his gaze slightly to her and smiled softly, returning the hug quickly, before turning back to glare once more at the writer who was slowly moving backwards into the garden to avoid his wrath.

Kyo seethed quietly, glaring daggers at his elder cousin. "WHO IS WHOSE YOUR NEW WIFE?" And a very high pitched girly scream sounded throughout the house.

* * *

Dinner was a lively event, a foreseen situation, with a still fuming elder brother, a beaten-up novelist who was afraid of said brother's reaction if he ever said a word out of place, a nervous Tohru who sensed the tension between the two, a calm Kairi who seemed oblivious to her surroundings, a forever-apologizing Ritsu who seemed to think that the tension created was his fault (and then proceeded to apologize furiously for it), a sighing Hatori who could just _feel _the strands of his black hair seeping white, and an irritate Yuki whose patience was being tested by it all.

Yes, it was a lively event.

Another contributing factor to this liveliness was that two more Sohma family members decided to drop by. Halfway through dinner, Haru and Momiji bounced into the dining room (the former calmly walked in while the latter bounced), and self-invited themselves to the sleepover to be held that night.

The two then proceeded to add to the havoc that had already pushed its way rudely into the Sohma household.

After about half an hour trying to diffuse the tension that had ultimately exploded into a full blown bickering match between Kyo and Haru (who had efficiently turned Black), and later Yuki (who's fuse had finally blown), Tohru was _exhausted_.

Boy, was that word the understatement of the century.

She dragged herself into the kitchen, arms full with plates, trying to escape into the safe haven that was the kitchen, only to find out that she wasn't the only one with such a thought.

On the kitchen counter sat the blonde fox who seemed to be soaked up in her thoughts and hadn't yet notice the riceball not so soundlessly walk into the kitchen.

As if said girl had heard Tohru's thoughts, Kairi blinked furiously, snapping out of her immense thoughts. She looked at Tohru, through her actually, head slightly cocked to the side, as if not registering that she wasn't alone in the kitchen.

"Honda-san! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," she apologized, bowing slightly as she hopped off the counter and made her way towards the brunette. Tohru shook her head, smiling slightly as if to say that it was alright. "Let me help you with those." She took about half of the plates that Tohru was holding, not paying any heed to said girl's protests, and went to dump the lot in the sink where she turned on the tap and started washing the dirty plates.

Tohru stood beside her, placing the lot into the sink as well. The two girls of the house then proceeded to wash the plates in a comfortable silence, paying no attention to the miniature war going on in the background.

A lightbulb lighted above Tohru's head as she remembered something she wanted to ask the younger girl but couldn't find the time to. "Ano Kairi-san, if you don't mind me asking…" she started, trailing off to gauge the blonde's reaction. Said blonde glanced at Tohru from the corner of her still slightly murky violet eyes, as if to tell her that her attention was there and she could proceed with her questioning session. "How is it possible that you can hug the Sohmas? Could you be part of the Juunishi?" Her obsidian eyes lit up in excitement at the possibility of meeting another member of the Juunishi.

Kairi gave her a little smile before shaking her head slightly. "No, I'm not part of the Juunishi," she confessed, and saw out of the corner of her eye, Tohru becoming a little more calm but slightly confused. "The reason why I can hug them is because I can transform too."

Tohru's brow furrowed in confusion. "But…"

"It doesn't make any sense right?" Kairi interrupted, giving a kind smile to the older girl. "There's a story behind that…" She placed down the plate that she was washing, and wiped her hands dry on a towel hanging nearby, before walking to the counter and sitting on top of it again. "A long time ago, God was really lonely…

He was always alone in his big house, with no one to keep him company. One day, he decided to look out his window, one that overlooked the entire world, and he saw an animal; not unlike a dog in its loyalty, not unlike a cat in its skittishness, and not unlike a wolf in its intelligence and slyness…

God liked this creature immensely, and called out to it to stay with him and keep him company. God and that animal were inseparable; It became God's closest companion. The two of them had formed a deep bond, one that can never be broken…" Kairi looked at Tohru to gauge her reaction, and saw the brunette staring at her intently, hanging onto her every word. She smiled inwardly, and carried on.

"The creature was God's messenger, in a sense. It gave out messages to the other animals when they were invited for the banquet, and it was at the banquet, though it wasn't included in the Zodiac unlike the rest. But God had decided to 'bless' it, so that it will forever be reborn and will always stay by God's side.

That animal, Tohru, one that was loyal, skittish and sly, was a fox."

Tohru's dark eyes were wide, and she looked at the blonde excitedly. "Does that mean that you're the fox, Kairi-san?" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together. Kairi swallowed the grim look that was about to creep up to her face, and nodded, seemingly impassive. "That's wonderful!"

She didn't answer the girl, but just looked out the kitchen door into the living room, where the bickering fest was still going on. Tohru, happy that she had found out more about Kairi's enigmatic background, finally turned back to the dishes in the sink to complete the chore, and she didn't catch the soft whisper that came from the younger girl.

Kairi let out a sad, sad smile. "No, Tohru. It really isn't."

* * *

There you go! Kairi's transformation form = explained!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you in the review section (hopefully)!

Tootles :)

Read & Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed :


	15. Chapter 14: I'm Here

Hey everyone!

/Gets down on my knees/ I am **SOOOOO **sorry for not updating sooner! Things have been really busy for me, what with my 'O' level examinations. Well yeah, anyway, I've been accepted to one of my dream schools for my singing! Which is a major stress relief for me because I don't have to worry much about not scoring well enough to go anywhere, but then again my family has really high expectations of me so I'm seriously really scared for my exams...

Getting to the point, right now I'm not even supposed to be writing because my exams aren't over yet (they'll be over in about two weeks or so)... But I sort of sneaked on to use the computer and I really tried hard to overcome that Writer's Block I was having...

So from my efforts, this chapter came out! I know it may seem like a filler and stuff, but I really had a major block and I couldn't think of anything else to write! This is one of the more fluffy chapters to showcase more HaruxOC, so hopefully people will like it? /wincing/

Send me a review if there's anything you would like me to write, or anything I need to improve on. I've been trying to improve my writing lately, so I'm writing a lot of things in more detail and stuff like that... Hopefully it's alright?

Time for review-answering!

**88dragon06 : Yes I've always loved Ritsu! He's really super funny and adorable. Omgosh yes I love how Kyo overreacts at basically everything! Thank you so much! I've been studying my balls off :'(**

**No name : Thank you! **

**MarvelDC superhero fan : Thanks so much! Hatori is one of the few that has been beside her through the years that she suffered, so it's a given that they'll be close :) Well, you know what they say, your pasts makes you who you are. I think that's what they say? HAHA : Don't worry, Haru will pull her back together ;) Time heals all wounds.**

**Ripplerose : Thank you so much! Haha yes I've been trying to take regular breaks, but I feel like I've been doing intense studying for a year :'(**

**khr lover : Hahah thank you so much! : Oh and yes! My favourite animal is actually owls, but I LOVE foxes as well! And omgosh I was squealing at the picture! Sooo adorable! But I was kind of picturing Kairi like... Kirara from Inuyasha? Except she's a fox instead of a cat, but foxes and cats kind of look alike, y'know? :]  
**

**TeddyzChicAlwayz : Hahah well, it's a HaruxOC fic so it's quite obvious who's he going to go with : But yes, they'll be troubles along the way! Thanks!**

**Krys : Hehe I love Utau, I think she's really pretty and then I thought about how much her image would suit with Haru who's such a hottie! Yeah, it's really complicated, especially with my idea of the relationship between Rin & Kairi.. I'm kind of like digging a hole that I'm never going to find the way out off... /depressed/ Hahah yes oh my, my brother irritates me to DEATH, but I really love him anyway :') Well, the room she was stuck in was more like the room that Yuki went to? If my memory doesn't fail me.. But yes, it's sort of like Kyo's cage as well... You'll find out a little more in this chapter ;) Thank you so much for being such a dedicated reader! : I'll try my best to complete the fic ;) Yes I AM stressed, but I just pulled through what's deemed as the 'Hell Week' so I'm feeling much better now! Thanks so much! :]**

**James Birdsong : Thanks again : **

**OwlPoop69 : She has a horrid past, doesn't she? :( But it'll get better! Haru will heal her! Thank you! :)**

**Psycho17 : HHAHHA nono, they didn't do anything. Haru just said it to annoy Kyo, and didn't THAT work out! : **

**Tiryn : Thank you so much! :) I'm so glad it made sense! I was worried about it for a while :]  
**

**TimcanTan : Thanks! :**

**night-and-autumn : Thank you! If you squint you can see the romance ;) And the fluff. But it'll not be so quick because I still have some unsettled business with Rin. HAHA : But yes, I kind of agree that she's not really like a fox... Ah, I'll try to do something about that :  
**

Thank you all my lovely reviewers & readers for staying with me throughout all this time! I know I haven't been very constant in updating... I really apologize for that, but I'll try to get my updates more frequent! Let's cross our fingers and hope that some idea strikes me tonight alright? ;)

Anyway, I can't wait till my exams are over! Once they're over I can start focusing on my writing more.. That's if an idea comes to me of course.

Please enjoy this chapter! It shows quite a bit of fluff between Haru and Kairi. I know it may seem like a filler, but... I really have nothing else in my brain to write :( & I apologize again for it's length. I actually only wrote the first bit previously, and today I just wrote the rest and I kind of rushed it so that I could get it out and pacify your needs... Soooooooo sorry if it's not up to par :'(

Anyway, you guys should just ignore this Author's Note and just read on...

**Disclaimer : I don't own Fruits Basket!**

* * *

_Chapter 14: I'm Here_

"Sleeping arrangements? Yay!" Momiji cheered, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, deep ochre eyes lit up in excitement. He was the perfect and ideal picture of a small child that just had a sugar rush. "I want to sleep with Kai-chan and Tohru! Can't I, Kai-chan?" Kairi, having been daydreaming before she was dragged into the conversation, gave him a small smile and nodded slightly, not quite knowing what she was agreeing to.

"HELL NO!" Kyo shouted, hitting Momiji on the head. An anger mark was quite eminent on his forehead. Didn't the kid know how old he was and how inappropriate it was for a guy his age to sleep with two girls? The tiny blonde, obviously quite ignorant of his age and the inappropriateness to the situation, became teary-eyed and started bawling, while Tohru attempted to calm him down. The key word being 'attempted'. Yuki sighed heavily, obviously giving up on them. He plopped himself down on the floor of the living room, switching the television on in boredom, while waiting for them to come to a conclusion.

"That's not fair. If Momiji gets to sleep with them, then I want to sleep with Kairi," Haru announced, as if the sleeping arrangements had already been agreed on and that Kyo's refusal of the idea had not just been spoken. Momiji clapped enthusiastically, cheering up immediately, thinking that he had won the argument and that they would be able to sleep with the girls.

"Didn't you hear me?" Kyo yelled, a big stress mark over his forehead. "I said, HELL NO!" he bellowed loudly, face growing a deep vermillion in his anger.

The small blonde boy pouted and sulked adorably, obviously not happy with the situation. "That's only because _you _want to sleep with them, Kyo!" Kyo's face grew a deeper scarlet if that was even possible, as he shouted once more, incredulous.

The loud bickering continued as Kairi intelligently retreated into the sanctuary of the kitchen, Tohru right at her heels. "Kairi-san, would you like to help me bake some snacks for everyone in case they get hungry?"

The blonde paused for a slight moment, before bowing her head and staring at her feet, slightly abashed. "I don't know how to bake." She felt slightly embarrassed that a girl her age didn't know how to bake, but she never had the chance to learn back at the Main House, not with being confined in her room all the time.

Tohru's eyes softened at the younger girl. "Ah, well.. I could teach you!" she proposed, clasping her hands together as she smiled brightly at the blonde. Kairi looked up slowly, before giving her friend a smile and a nod. The two of them began to work their magic in the kitchen.

* * *

_Darkness. _

_It was just pure jet black that swallowed her, enveloping her in its choking embrace. It was not comfortable; it gave her a feeling of great anxiety and fear, but she could not run from it, because she couldn't see anything. It was as if she hadn't opened her eyes at all, it was as if she was blind. She couldn't see her small, pale hand in front of her, couldn't see her hair covering her mauve eyes, couldn't see the small tears welling up in her bloodshot orbs. She brought her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly as if they would provide her some comfort in the dark and confining room. It has been a week now, if she counted the seconds correctly, since she last saw any light.  
_

_Where was he? Where was her savior? Where was her knight in shining armor? Where was the boy with ivory white hair and ebony roots? Where was the person she loved the most in the whole world?_

_"He's not going to come," whispered a voice from outside the paper door that blocked her escape. She stabbed her small fingers into her ears to block out the haunting voice that mocked her, almost drawing blood at the pressure she had used. _

_"No, no, no, no," she chanted the mantra, trying to block out the daunting voice in the background. She squeezed her eyes shut, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She couldn't lose hope, she must believe, she must have faith in him. He promised that he would save her, he promised that he would protect her. He definitely wouldn't break his promise.  
_

_Right?_

_"It's useless… He abandoned you," the voice continued even louder than before, so that she could hear it loud and clear despite her efforts to do just the opposite. "He's forgotten all about you already…"_

_She chanted even louder, trying in vain to ignore the whispers that viciously tore out her heart and ripped at her soul. Her panicked eyes flickered open and darted to the walls of the room. They looked as if they were coming closer to her person, as if they were trying to squeeze her. She closed her eyes again, rocking back and forth in her ball-like position._

_"No… He wouldn't forget…" she protested weakly, feeling exhaustion creep into her bones. "He wouldn't… He wouldn't…"_

_"Give up Kairi, you are alone."_

* * *

Kairi jolted awake, sitting up from her position. She could feel cold sweat beading on her forehead as she shook her head slightly, a futile method to rid herself of the remnants of the dream she had.

Only it wasn't a dream; it was a memory.

She glanced at the red glare of the digital clock on Tohru's nightstand and noted that it was four in the morning. There was absolutely no way she was going to go back to sleep now. She slowly slid herself off Tohru's bed, being extra careful not to make any movements so as to not wake the older girl. Her feet padded across the wooden floor silently as she creaked the door open and surreptitiously made her way out of the room, completely unnoticed.

She made her way down the stairs to the porch of Shigure's house, taking a seat along the wooden planks of the cool veranda. The cool breeze of the night tousled her hair, sending blonde strands flying in the slight wind. Her mauve orbs looked out at the garden surrounding the house, but her sight was not focused on anything as she drifted off into a daydream.

No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts always went back to the dream that she had just woken up from.

Haru slowly sat up from Yuki's bed, trying not to make much movement. He had awoken from his slumber, for some unknown reason. He wasn't hungry, wasn't thirsty, he wasn't dreaming about anything in particular. But he had woken up anyway.

Shrugging the thought off, he slid out of the sheets, and went out the door silently. He didn't know where he was going, instinct just drove him as he made his way down the stairs to the veranda, only to find that he wasn't the first person to be awake at this hour.

Seated on the wooden floor was a very familiar girl whose blonde hair was drifting in the cool breeze of the morning. Her lilac eyes were unfocused as she gazed contemplatively at the morning glories spread out in Shigure's garden. At that moment, he realized how fragile she looked, as if one wrong touch would just break her.

Just like a doll. A porcelain doll.

Looking closer, the bipolar cow noticed that her pale cheeks were damp with tears. His obsidian eyes narrowed at the thought that she was crying, and before he knew it, he found himself on the wooden floor, seated right beside her. She hadn't jumped at his sudden arrival; it was as if she had already known that he was there… Or, she didn't realize that he was right beside her now.

Peaking at her from his peripheral vision, he found that a new wave of tears had welled up in her lavender eyes and had begun its course down her smooth cheeks. Tentatively, he reached his hand out to grasp her chin lightly, and found that she didn't startle in fright. So she had known that he was there. He twisted her face towards him, and used his other hand to gently wiped the tears off her face. He held her small face in his hand, trying in vain to read her expression as she refused to meet his gaze.

She didn't move at all, as if completely allowing him to do whatever he was doing as she submitted to him. Her orbs slowly flickered up from her stare at her lap. Mauve met obsidian, and she slowly reached a slightly shaking hand to caress his face slightly, as if not believing that he was right in front of her.

Another wave of tears spilled from her eyes as they clouded in immense relief. "You're here," she whispered softly, her voice like chimes. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her as he enveloped her in his comforting embrace. With her face flushed close to his chest, he brought his hand up to stroke her hair slowly; an action that he always did to calm her when they were younger.

"Yeah, I'm here."

* * *

Read & Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!


	16. Chapter 15: Afraid

HOHOHO, A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE! /starts singing Christmas carols/. This chapter is a special gift to all my wonderful and fantastic readers. Thanks for supporting Tangled Fates for over a year now!

I apologize for updating so late, but I had planned to post a chapter on Christmas day, and when I realized I wasn't going to be able to write two within that period of time (what with my terrible writer's block and all), I just put all my effort into writing this extra long chapter for you guys!

Someone commented that my chapters were a little short and all, and that I use much space replying to my lovely readers, so to try and mend that problem, I've tried my best to write an extra long chapter for you guys, and also to private message my response to my reviewers who have accounts instead of replying them here!

So much thanks to ''**88dragon06**", "**GotenLover91**", "**Quiet Harmony-chan**", "**Ripplerose**", "**hidansgirl1234**"!

To my no-account reviewers :

**indescribable music : Well you actually have an account, but you disable PMs, so hello! Thank you very much : **

**khr lover : ****No problem! Thanks for reviewing :) And sorry for taking so long Kirara but fox version! ;) Yeah I like it better when authors tell us what to imagine instead of leaving it to us.. Hope you like my imagination! : **

**Krys : The only thing that keeps me going to school is my friends actually! I don't think I'm very good at singing /embarrassed/.. Hehe I like to purposely torture my readers by not giving them the satisfaction of a kiss ;) JUST KIDDING! I love you guys, but Haru is still stuck on Rin, and even if he feels for Kairi, he isn't going to move on from Rin just yet! Actually, I'm quite nervous to the confrontation between Rin and Kairi... Hopefully you guys will enjoy it? /crosses fingers/. I'm so glad you like Kairi, by the way ;) Makes me happy how somebody is rooting so much for her!**

**Kattis : Thanks for your advice! Yea, some readers commented on things that should be changed, so I just went back to change them because I learn from those mistakes as well! :) I'll try my best to come up with even longer chapters! ^^ **

**Echo : Thank you! I'm so glad you and your sister like this story! :) **

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! There's a confrontation in the later bits.. and I had to tear my head open just to come up with that part, so I'm hoping that you guys will like it!

**Disclaimer : I don't own Fruits Basket! **

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_Chapter 15: Afraid_

Tohru yawned, having been awakened by the blaring alarm of her small clock. She stretched out her hand to press the 'Snooze' button on the small device, slowly sitting up on her bed. She blinked.

Where was Kairi?

She shrugged off the thought, for the missing girl had a habit of waking up earlier than the other occupants in the house. When questioned about it, she had explained to the older girl that she liked watching the Sun rise. Tohru smiled softly at the thought of the blonde fox. Said girl hadn't been with the household for long, but Tohru was already immensely fond of her. She didn't really know much about the enigmatic girl, only that her past was filled with dark memories.

The rice ball was determined to make her stay an improvement from the past.

With that thought, she padded across her room to the door, making her way to the washroom to freshen herself up and get ready for a new day. Finishing her routine, she went downstairs to start making breakfast, only to notice the door to the veranda wide open. Making her way closer, she noticed the silhouettes of a figure on the thin, translucent paper door.

It must be Kairi. Except said girl's silhouette wouldn't be this large, would it?

Curiousity ate away at her, and against her better judgement, she poked her head out the door to peak at who it was. The corners of her lips turned upwards as her brown eyes silently took in the sight in front of her, and she snuck away from the veranda door, making extra effort to be as quiet as a mouse.

Hopefully nobody would disturb them.

* * *

Kyo stirred awake, slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings as he blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes. He stretched in his futon, acting very much like the cat spirit that was inside him, and sat up slowly in an effort to not make much movements. He swiped a hand over his face, wiping the dirt out of his eyes as he glanced at the sleeping figures beside him.

Wait, figures?

Squinting his eyes to distinguish who was in his bed, he saw a mop of short blonde hair and another of a deep ochre. He groaned softly. He had forgotten that the Ritsu, Hatori, Haru and Momiji had stayed the night. No wonder he thought that Kairi had gained some weight and was taking up more space in the bed than usual.

He smoothly slid out of the bed, and snuck out the door. Completing his bathroom routine, he padded down the wooden stairs, making his way to the veranda to watch the sunrise with his sister, who was surely out of bed by now, just as he always did everyday.

What he didn't expect, however, was to see his sister sleeping, with her head resting in the lap of a certain ivory haired boy, who was leaning against the paper door, seeming asleep as well. What would normally be a cute picture, just ruined his whole day.

An irk mark decorated the temple of a slightly shaking Kyo Sohma, who trembled in his ire. The blood from his body started defying gravity, flowing upwards to pool on his face, colouring his tan cheeks with a deep red. His right eye twitched slightly as he curled his fingers into a tight fist, breathing deeply in and out. Finally, he opened his mouth...

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH KAIRI?"

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"Hatori-san, how's the taste? Is it too spicy?" came the soft voice of a slightly worried Tohru as she looked up into Hatori's face, trying to gauge his reaction by observing his facial expressions.

Said doctor's face stayed stoic as he sipped slowly at the small tasting plate. "No, it's just right."

Tohru's face broke out into a delighted smile as she unknowingly clasped her fists together in front of her body in relief. "That's great! I was worried because I didn't ask for Hatori-san's taste preferences when we were at the villa…"

"You don't have to pay attention to these things," came the monotone reply, though Hatori's eye softened slightly at her.

Shigure came slithering into the kitchen as he precariously perched behind Hatori's shoulder. He smiled a bright and slightly annoying smile as he jumped at the opportunity to tease his old friend. "You must be very envious of me, very tempted to claim Tohru-kun as your own, right? **My other lovely wife!**"

Tohru stuttered in surprise at the dog's reference of her as Hatori sighed heavily, wondering why on earth his cousin would want to subject himself yet once more to the very painful fists of a very pissed off Kyo if said boy had overheard his amorous comment. The cat of the family was already in a very bellicose mood, and the thought of the macabre beating that Shigure would get made Hatori quietly question if the novelist was a closet masochist.

He shrugged off the idea; he wasn't one to question the facetious actions of Shigure. The ludicrous behavior of one of his oldest friends and cousin, was his idiosyncrasy after all.

A low and threatening growl came from the door, making the occupants of the kitchen spin around to notice a very miffed Kyo. "Watch me send you flying to the ceiling.." he muttered lowly under his breath before he bellowed loudly. "WHO'S YOUR LOVELY WIFE HUH? SAY IT ONCE MORE ABOUT EITHER TOHRU OR KAIRI AND I'LL BREAK YOUR NECK!"

Hatori sweat dropped slightly, shaking his head slightly at the typicality of the whole situation. Tohru hurried forward to try and calm the angry cat down. She smiled lightly, greeting him a pleasant morning when he spun around and directed his anger at her instead. She continued smiling, deciding not to comment on anything but instead to let him cool down slowly.

"Don't vent your jealous anger on the wrong person," Hatori muttered and he took slight pleasure at the blubbering mess he had made out of Kyo at his comment. He made his way out of the kitchen to check on Haru and his injuries. The sharp eye of the dragon had caught sight of a swelling bump on Kyo's jaw; evidence of the fight that had definitely broke out between said cat and the duo haired cow. It had been hard to ignore the loud bellows and shouts that had seemingly came from the veranda at dawn that morning.

As he walked into the living room, he saw the boy he had been looking for, looking slightly put out as he sulked on the floor, a colouring bruise evident on his cheek. Kairi knelt in front of him, holding in her hand a damp towel, fussing over said bruise.

"I'll tend to his bruise, Kairi," he called out, successfully capturing the attention of the fox. "You should go and prepare for school." Not waiting for her reply, he let the two of them be, going back into the kitchen to find an ice pack for the swelling.

She nodded despite the fact that the doctor had already left the room, before turning once more to the cow. "Ha-chan, are you going to school today?"

Haru glanced upwards at her, meeting her eyes, before shaking his head slightly and reaching out to pull her into a big hug. "Can you stay home with me?"

"I have to go. Someone has to take notes for you and I don't want Momiji-chan to write both our notes," she replied. He pouted at her, trying to persuade her into keeping him company but she only smiled at him. Finally, he huffed and gave up, slouching slightly.

"Fine, but you have to tell me if somebody disturbs you."

* * *

The week flew by and Saturday afternoon came, and Hatori swung by Shigure's house to fetch Kairi. He hadn't spoken a word about where he was about to bring her, and she was starting to get curious despite herself. The car ride was filled with a comfortable silence as the elder concentrated on maneuvering around different vehicles and the younger tried to mentally make a guess at where her cousin was bringing her. As the doctor pulled into the car-park of a hospital, all her previous presumptions were swiped out of her mind and she drew at a blank.

"Tori-chan?" She walked tentatively behind the tall doctor. He tilted his head back slightly to glance at her, letting her know that he had heard her. "Where are we going?" The black head smiled mysteriously at the girl, but made no move to answer her as they continued walking down the white hallways of the hospital they were visiting. She didn't prod for answers any further, knowing for a fact that she wouldn't be able to squeeze an answer out of the stubborn man.

They walked through countless white halls and past numerous doors to come to a halt at the door of a private room holding a 'Isuzu Sohma'; according to the sign hanging outside. Kairi sucked in a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the confrontation that was about to unfold, and twirled a lock of her strawberry blonde hair around her slim finger, a gesture that Hatori had long found out that she did only when she was extremely nervous. She glanced at the older man, and he gave her a reassuring smile, before leaning on the wall, as if to indicate to her silently that he'll be waiting for her there. She coughed lightly, making his smile waver slightly, before nodding with uncertainty, heart clouded with trepidation, and knocked.

An onyx haired girl with equally dark eyes sat on the white sheets of her hospital bed. She glanced at the door, uncertain of who was visiting her this time round. She let out a coarse 'Come in', and the doorknob twisted to show that her visitor was doing just that. Her midnight black eyes widened in surprise at the blonde twin-tailed girl, as said girl walked into the gloomy white room. "Kairi…" she whispered softly in disbelief, slight tears pricking in her eyes. The younger smiled softly at the girl, making to sit down in the chair made up beside the bed.

"It's been a long time." The hip-length black haired girl returned the greeting. "You grew out your hair! How have you been doing, Suzu-chan?" she asked, breaking the somewhat awkward silence that had settled in the room.

"I've been better," Rin croaked, her hoarse voice quavering slightly, as if she hadn't been using it for awhile. "And yeah I did, I wanted a change." The two of them caught up with each other for a little while, making small talk but not dwelling on deeper subjects.

The elder noted mentally that the blonde's eyes were a murky mauve, as if she had lived many years of suffering. It was sad to see that Kairi had lost the innocence that once filled her orbs. That she had lost the twinkling brightness in her eyes from having been locked away for so long.

The horse quietly drew in a deep breath, strengthening her resolve. She had already planned this meeting, and was determined to get her thoughts out before guilt ate away at her conscience. She never was a patient person to begin with. "Look, Kairi... I'm so sorry."

Said girl stiffened slightly, surreptitiously turning her head away so that their eyes wouldn't meet. "What for?" she managed, obviously not wanting to have this difficult conversation. "You've done nothing wrong to have to apologize to me." She coughed slightly.

Rin sighed heavily. This was going to be harder than she thought. "I'm sorry… for taking away your Haru," she replied, looking down at her lap.

Kairi snapped her head towards her so quickly that her neck cracked in protest. "Ha-chan wasn't mine to take away from in the first place. Don't apologize for something useless like that," she trailed off quietly, turning her head away again. She contemplated leaving the room, but threw aside that train of thought as she remembered the dragon on guard outside. He would be suspicious at her leaving so soon, and she didn't want to have to explain this to him.

"Don't be so stubborn," Rin argued quietly. "We all knew that since a long time ago, he had always loved you… And that he never stopped." Kairi opened her mouth to argue back, but the elder had held up her hand to stop her. "And we all knew that you loved him back."

Kairi stood up, pushing the chair back so fast that it toppled backwards. "Ha-chan didn't say anything in black and white. So don't assume things."

Rin narrowed her black eyes at the blonde. She really hadn't changed in the many years of absence. Stubborn as ever, just like her brother. Rin wasn't one to willing lose a fight either, and she continued the growing argument, mentally noting that she didn't deny her feelings for the cow. "I was around you both enough to know that he did, whether or not you realized and accepted it. Did you not notice the way he looked at you? The way he acted around you? A fool could tell that he loved you!" she shouted, trying to beat some sense into the stubborn blonde.

Out of the blue, a series of hard coughs attacked Kairi, so much so that her body shook.

Rin's eyes widened slightly and her expression grew worried. "Are you alr-"

"Then why!" Kairi interrupted once she had the coughs under control, as hot tears pricked at her violet orbs. "Why… Why did you and him…!"

Rin's eyes softened tremendously. She bent forward, gently taking the younger's hand and pulling her onto the bed. She wrapped her arms around the younger and encased her in a tight embrace. "It's because… It's because I love him…" she whispered softly, voice breaking slightly. "I'm so sorry."

Kairi's body stiffened noticeably as she continued letting the elder hug her, not quite returning the gesture. She stood up abruptly, breaking the embrace. She turned around quickly, not wanting to let the elder see her expression just in case her mask broke. "Then you must make him happy," her voice, though she wanted it to sound strong and firm, quivered slightly and Rin's heart broke.

"I broke up with him," Rin started. "Because I knew that he didn't love me as much as he loved you. And for that to happen even after so many years, I knew that he could never love me as much as he did you."

"He doesn't love me, Suzu-chan… He loves you, Suzu-chan. He was so upset when you broke up with him!"

"Maybe Haru does love me, but it isn't the same as how he loves you," she said. "Back then I was selfish to ask him to be by my side when I already knew the fact that he never did forget about you or his feelings for you. I foolishly thought that I could replace you in his heart, but now I know that it can't be done no matter how hard I try..." She lightly swat at the tears that had built up in her eyes. "In any case, Kairi, please make him happy. You're the only one who can."

"I can't…" Kairi replied softly, reaching out to wipe away the stray tears from her best friend's eyes. "No, I really can't."

"Why Kairi? Why are you so afraid?" Rin asked quietly. "Why are you so afraid of making that move so that you can be happy again? Are you afraid that he'll hurt you? Because I can assure you, he would rather kill himself than to hurt you."

"No that's not it," she shook her head. "… I-I'm afraid.. To be happy."

Rin narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Why, Kairi? Why are you afraid of that? You of all people deserve the right to be happy after all those years of being chained up and controlled."

Kairi looked down at her lap, slouching in her position as if the weight of the entire world was resting on her small shoulders. "I'm afraid.. Because every time I let myself be happy, every time I feel like the world is finally smiling at me, something happens and someone takes that away from me. I've tried to stay positive, to stay optimistic that maybe something will be consistent in my life, but the higher my hopes are pulled, the harder it hurts when everything comes crashing down again.

"I'm tired of being disappointed, so I've learned that I shouldn't have expectations or hopes. Because wishful thinking gets me nowhere, and I'm stuck in a deep abyss of hopelessness and I'm just tired of being let down." She coughed slightly, looking up from her lap. Murky yet sorrowful mauve eyes met the teary onyx ones of Isuzu.

"How can I make someone happy if I'm afraid of letting myself be happy?"

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Sorry if it was a little bit depressing! I actually feel the same way as Kairi sometimes, albeit not to such a great extent, but I based her fears on my actual feelings.

Expectations - Disappointment

Hopefully you guys can make sense out of it?

On a lighter note, I hope you guys have a fantastic Christmas! Your reviews will definitely make my day, constructive criticism or not :)

Merry Christmas!


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